CVE-2022-0014: Cortex XDR Agent: Unintended Program Execution When Using Live Terminal Session

Severity: high (CVSS 7.3 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2022-01-12 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-426

Description

An untrusted search path vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent that enables a local attacker with file creation privilege in the Windows root directory (such as C:\) to store a program that can then be unintentionally executed by another local user when that user utilizes a Live Terminal session. This issue impacts: Cortex XDR agent 5.0 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 5.0.12; Cortex XDR agent 6.1 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 6.1.9; Cortex XDR agent 7.2 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 7.2.4; Cortex XDR agent 7.3 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 7.3.2.

Affected products

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent: from 5.0 before 5.0.12; from 6.1 before 6.1.9; from 7.2 before 7.2.4; from 7.3 before 7.3.2 — fixed in 5.0.12, 6.1.9, 7.2.4, 7.3.2
Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent: from 7.2 before 7.2.4; from 7.3 before 7.3.2; from 5.0 before 5.0.12; from 6.1 before 6.1.9 — fixed in 7.2.4, 7.3.2, 5.0.12, 6.1.9

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent 5.0.12, 6.1.9, 7.2.4, 7.3.2; Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent 7.2.4, 7.3.2, 5.0.12, 6.1.9. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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