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CVE-2021-3042

HIGHCVSS 7.8/10EPSS 0.25%

Last modified

CVE-2021-3042 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7.8/10 on the CVSS scale. A local privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows platforms that enables an authenticated local Windows user to execute programs with SYSTEM privileges. Exploiting this vulnerability requires the user to have file creation privilege in the Windows root directory (such as C:\). EPSS estimates a 0.25% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

A local privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows platforms that enables an authenticated local Windows user to execute programs with SYSTEM privileges. Exploiting this vulnerability requires the user to have file creation privilege in the Windows root directory (such as C:\). This issue impacts: All versions of Cortex XDR agent 6.1 without content update 181 or a later version; All versions of Cortex XDR agent 7.2 without content update 181 or a later version; All versions of Cortex XDR agent 7.3 without content update 181 or a later version. Cortex XDR agent 5.0 versions are not impacted by this issue. Content updates are required to resolve this issue and are automatically applied for the agent.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
7.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability
0.25%

15.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

VendorProductVersions
PaloaltonetworksCortex Xdr Agent6.1
PaloaltonetworksCortex Xdr Agent7.2
PaloaltonetworksCortex Xdr Agent7.3

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-3042?
A local privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows platforms that enables an authenticated local Windows user to execute programs with SYSTEM privileges. Exploiting this vulnerability requires the user to have file creation privilege in the Windows root directory (such as C:\). This issue impacts: All versions of Cortex XDR agent 6.1 without content update 181 or a later version; All versions of Cortex XDR agent 7.2 without content update 181 or a later version; All versions of Cortex XDR agent 7.3 without content update 181 or a later version. Cortex XDR agent 5.0 versions are not impacted by this issue. Content updates are required to resolve this issue and are automatically applied for the agent.
How severe is CVE-2021-3042?
CVE-2021-3042 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.25% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2021-3042?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2021-3042?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST