# CVE-2020-1996: PAN-OS: Panorama management server log injection

> Remote unauthenticated attackers can inject messages into Panorama logs to obfuscate attacks or fabricate entries, requiring upgrades to secure versions.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 13 May 2020
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-grq6-472c-73fx

## What is CVE-2020-1996?

CVE-2020-1996 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os, published on 13 May 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A missing authorization vulnerability in the management server component of PAN-OS Panorama allows a remote unauthenticated user to inject messages into the management server ms.log file. This vulnerability can be leveraged to obfuscate an ongoing attack or fabricate log entries in the ms.log file This issue affects: All versions of PAN-OS 7.1 and 8.0; PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than 8.1.14; PAN-OS 9.0 versions earlier than 9.0.9.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1996?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-1996?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-1996 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-1996 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1996 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-2020-1996 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-1996 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os, published on 13 May 2020. 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-2020-1996 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-2020-1996/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1996/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1996
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1996
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1996

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1996/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.