# CVE-2024-9471: PAN-OS: Privilege Escalation (PE) Vulnerability in XML API

> Authenticated administrators can escalate privileges via compromised XML API keys to perform unauthorized write operations.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.1 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/AU:N/R:A/V:D/RE:L/U:Green`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 9 Oct 2024
- **Updated:** 18 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-p24w-fv79-9hfm

## What is CVE-2024-9471?

CVE-2024-9471 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os, published on 9 Oct 2024. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability in the XML API of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software enables an authenticated PAN-OS administrator with restricted privileges to use a compromised XML API key to perform actions as a higher privileged PAN-OS administrator. For example, an administrator with "Virtual system administrator (read-only)" access could use an XML API key of a "Virtual system administrator" to perform write operations on the virtual system configuration even though they should be limited to read-only operations.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-9471?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-9471?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-9471 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-9471 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-9471 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-2024-9471 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-9471 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os, published on 9 Oct 2024. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-9471 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-2024-9471/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9471/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-9471
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-9471
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-9471

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9471/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.