CVE-2026-0232 Cortex XDR Agent: Local Administrator can disable the agent on Windows
A local Windows administrator can bypass protection mechanisms to disable the Cortex XDR agent, allowing malware to operate undetected.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-0232?
CVE-2026-0232 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent, published on 13 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
A problem with a protection mechanism in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows allows a local Windows administrator to disable the agent. This issue may be leveraged by malware to perform malicious activity without detection.
Weakness: CWE-15
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-0232?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Paloaltonetworks Cortex Xdr Agent.
How do I fix CVE-2026-0232?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-0232 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-0232 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-0232 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent
- CVE-2022-0015 Cortex XDR Agent: An Uncontrolled Search Path Element Leads to Local Privilege Escalation (PE) Vulnerability
- CVE-2021-3042 Cortex XDR Agent: Improper Control of User-Controlled File Leads to Local Privilege Escalation
- CVE-2021-3041 Cortex XDR Agent: Improper control of user-controlled file leads to local privilege escalation
- CVE-2020-2049 Cortex XDR Agent: Improper control of loaded DLL leads to local privilege escalation
- CVE-2024-5909 Cortex XDR Agent: Local Windows User Can Disable the Agent
Sources
Also known as GHSA-hvx7-jqjg-r7r7.