CVE-2023-3280: Cortex XDR Agent: Local Windows User Can Disable the Agent

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 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: 2023-09-13 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-755

Description

A problem with a protection mechanism in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows devices allows a local user to disable the agent.

Affected products

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent: from 5.0 through 5.0.12.22203; from 7.9.0 before 7.9.3; from 7.9.0 before 7.9.101; from 8.0.0 before 8.0.2; 7.5.102 — fixed in 7.9.101, 7.9.3, 8.0.2
Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent: from 7.9 before 7.9.3; from 7.9-CE before 7.9.101-CE; from 8.0 before 8.0.2; 5.0, 7.5-CE — fixed in 7.9.3, 7.9.101-CE, 8.0.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent 7.9.101, 7.9.3, 8.0.2; Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent 7.9.3, 7.9.101-CE, 8.0.2. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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