# CVE-2019-17440: PAN-OS on PA-7000 Series: Improper restriction of communication to Log Forwarding Card (LFC) allows root access

> An attacker with network access to the Log Forwarding Card can gain root access to PAN-OS on specific PA-7000 series devices.

- **Severity:** Critical 10.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Dec 2019
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4w28-4cpv-vvf3

## What is CVE-2019-17440?

CVE-2019-17440 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os, published on 20 Dec 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Improper restriction of communications to Log Forwarding Card (LFC) on PA-7000 Series devices with second-generation Switch Management Card (SMC) may allow an attacker with network access to the LFC to gain root access to PAN-OS. This issue affects PAN-OS 9.0 versions prior to 9.0.5-h3 on PA-7080 and PA-7050 devices with an LFC installed and configured. This issue does not affect PA-7000 Series deployments using the first-generation SMC and the Log Processing Card (LPC). This issue does not affect any other PA series devices. This issue does not affect devices without an LFC. This issue does not affect PAN-OS 8.1 or prior releases. This issue only affected a very limited number of customers and we undertook individual outreach to help them upgrade. At the time of publication, all identified customers have upgraded SW or content and are not impacted.

Weakness: CWE-923 (Improper Restriction of Communication Channel to Intended Endpoints)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-17440?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-17440?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-17440 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-17440 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-17440 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os

- [CVE-2024-3400](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-3400/): Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Command Injection (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-2021](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-2021/): Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Authentication Bypass (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-15944](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-15944/): Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-0300](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-0300/): Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.3, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-0012](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-0012/): Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Management Interface Authentication Bypass (critical 9.3, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-17440 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-17440 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os, published on 20 Dec 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-17440 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-17440/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-17440/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-17440
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-17440
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-17440

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-17440/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.