CVE-2020-2027: PAN-OS: Buffer overflow in authd authentication response

Severity: high (CVSS 7.2 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 2.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2020-06-10 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-121

Description

A buffer overflow vulnerability in the authd component of the PAN-OS management server allows authenticated administrators to disrupt system processes and potentially execute arbitrary code with root privileges. This issue affects: All versions of PAN-OS 7.1 and PAN-OS 8.0; PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.13; PAN-OS 9.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 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
Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS: from 8.1 before 8.1.13; from 9.0 before 9.0.7; 7.1.*, 8.0.* — 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; Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS 8.1.13, 9.0.7. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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