CVE-2020-2012: PAN-OS: Panorama: XML external entity reference ('XXE') vulnerability leads the to information leak

Severity: high (CVSS 7.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 2.0% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2020-05-13 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-611

Description

Improper restriction of XML external entity reference ('XXE') vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Panorama management service allows remote unauthenticated attackers with network access to the Panorama management interface to read arbitrary files on the system. This issue affects: All versions of PAN-OS for Panorama 7.1 and 8.0; PAN-OS for Panorama 8.1 versions earlier than 8.1.13; PAN-OS for Panorama 9.0 versions earlier than 9.0.7.

Affected products

Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS: from 7.1.0 through 7.1.26; from 8.0.0 through 8.0.20; from 8.1.0 before 8.1.13; from 9.0.0 before 9.0.7 — fixed in 8.1.13, 9.0.7

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS 8.1.13, 9.0.7. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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