# CVE-2024-5918: PAN-OS: Improper Certificate Validation Enables Impersonation of a Legitimate GlobalProtect User

> An attacker with a crafted certificate can impersonate legitimate users on GlobalProtect portals or gateways when client certificate authentication is enabled.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L/AU:N/R:A/V:C/RE:M/U:Amber`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Nov 2024
- **Updated:** 14 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xvx4-v362-295f

## What is CVE-2024-5918?

CVE-2024-5918 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os, published on 14 Nov 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An improper certificate validation vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software enables an authorized user with a specially crafted client certificate to connect to an impacted GlobalProtect portal or GlobalProtect gateway as a different legitimate user. This attack is possible only if you "Allow Authentication with User Credentials OR Client Certificate."

Weakness: CWE-295 (Improper Certificate Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-5918?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-5918?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-5918 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-5918 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-5918 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-2024-5918 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-5918 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os, published on 14 Nov 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-5918 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-2024-5918/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-5918/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-5918
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-5918
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-5918

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-5918/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.