# CVE-2024-5916: PAN-OS: Cleartext Exposure of External System Secrets

> A local read-only administrator can unintentionally disclose external system secrets, passwords, and tokens by accessing the configuration log.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.0 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N/AU:N/R:U/V:C/RE:H/U:Amber`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Aug 2024
- **Updated:** 30 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cvjp-23hx-635r

## What is CVE-2024-5916?

CVE-2024-5916 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os, published on 14 Aug 2024. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An information exposure vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software enables a local system administrator to unintentionally disclose secrets, passwords, and tokens of external systems. A read-only administrator who has access to the config log, can read secrets, passwords, and tokens to external systems.

Weakness: CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information), CWE-313 (Cleartext Storage in a File or on Disk)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-5916?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-5916?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-5916 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-5916 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-5916 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-2024-5916 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-5916 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os, published on 14 Aug 2024. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-5916 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-2024-5916/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-5916/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-5916
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-5916
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-5916

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-5916/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.