Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain adjacent network position (ARP spoof or rogue AP)
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DeliveryIntercept GlobalProtect TLS handshake
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ExploitPresent fraudulent certificate bypassing CWE-295 validation
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ExecutionRedirect traffic to attacker-controlled server
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ImpactDeliver malicious software to endpoint
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V12 - Secure Communication Certificate validation
|
| Exploitation Conditions | The attack requires the attacker to be positioned on the same network subnet as the victim (AV:A), either as a local non-administrative OS user on the same host or as a network-adjacent attacker using techniques such as ARP poisoning or a rogue access point. No authentication or privileges are required by the attacker (PR:N), and no user interaction beyond normal VPN usage is needed (UI:N). The vulnerability is limited to specific GlobalProtect App platforms: macOS and Android are affected, while Linux, Windows, iOS, and the UWP app are explicitly confirmed unaffected by the vendor. The CVSS 4.0 AT:P component confirms that target-side prerequisites exist - specifically the vulnerable OS platform and a GlobalProtect App version below the respective fix threshold must be present. Exploitation is further constrained by the requirement for adjacent network access, making internet-scale mass exploitation infeasible without first compromising network positioning. |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.0 base score of 4.9 (Medium) is primarily suppressed by AV:A (adjacent network required, not internet-wide), AT:P (target-side prerequisites - specific OS platforms), and E:U (exploitation unreported). Despite these mitigating factors, the vulnerable component impact is rated VC:H and VI:H, meaning a successful attack fully compromises confidentiality and integrity of data passing through the VPN tunnel. EPSS at 0.00% (0th percentile) aligns with SSVC's 'Exploitation: none' and 'Automatable: no' ratings, indicating no observed mass exploitation and no straightforward weaponization path. The Amber urgency rating from the CVSS 4.0 supplemental vector (U:Amber) suggests the vendor views this as moderately time-sensitive. One data inconsistency worth flagging: the CVE tags include 'Microsoft', yet the description explicitly states Windows is not affected - this tag appears to be erroneous and should not inform risk decisions. Real-world priority is moderate: organizations with road-warrior macOS or Android GlobalProtect users connecting over untrusted networks (public Wi-Fi, hotel networks, conference venues) face the highest realistic exposure. Enterprise environments where all VPN users operate over trusted corporate infrastructure have lower practical risk. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker positioned on the same network subnet as a macOS or Android GlobalProtect user - for example, an attacker sharing a hotel or airport Wi-Fi network - performs ARP spoofing or operates a rogue access point to intercept the victim's traffic. When the GlobalProtect app attempts to authenticate or communicate with its gateway, the attacker presents a fraudulent TLS certificate that the app accepts due to the improper validation flaw, allowing full decryption and manipulation of the VPN-protected channel. The attacker then redirects software update or configuration traffic to a malicious server and delivers a trojanized payload to the endpoint, achieving code execution without requiring any administrative privileges or user interaction beyond the victim's normal VPN usage. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jun 08, 2026
Improper certificate validation in Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect App exposes macOS and Android users to adversary-in-the-middle attacks from locally adjacent network positions, enabling traffic interception and malicious software installation. The flaw allows an unauthenticated attacker on the same subnet - or a local non-administrative OS user - to redirect encrypted VPN communications to a rogue server by bypassing TLS certificate checks. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, EPSS is effectively zero, and CISA SSVC rates exploitation as none, though the high confidentiality and integrity impact on the vulnerable component warrants prompt patching on affected platforms.
RemediationAI
The primary fix is to upgrade GlobalProtect App on macOS and Android endpoints to the patched releases identified by Palo Alto Networks: 6.0.13 or 6.0.14, 6.1.13, 6.2.8-h10, or 6.3.3-h9, depending on the deployed release train. Refer to the vendor advisory at https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2026-0249 for exact upgrade instructions and release notes. While patches are being deployed, organizations can reduce exposure by restricting GlobalProtect macOS and Android clients to trusted network segments where adjacent-network interception is not feasible - for example, enforcing VPN initiation only from wired corporate LANs or known Wi-Fi SSIDs with 802.1X authentication. Instructing users to avoid connecting GlobalProtect from untrusted networks (public Wi-Fi, hotel networks) as a temporary policy measure is a low-impact compensating control; however, this conflicts with the primary use case of remote-worker VPN access and is not a sustainable mitigation. Certificate pinning or gateway-side mutual TLS enforcement may provide partial defense but is subject to the same client-side validation flaw. Upgrade remains the only reliable remediation.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
CWE-295 (Improper Certificate Validation) describes a failure to adequately verify X.509 certificates during TLS handshakes, allowing a forged or unauthorized certificate to be accepted as legitimate. GlobalProtect is Palo Alto Networks' VPN client used to establish secure tunnels to Prisma Access or PAN-OS gateways. The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:palo_alto_networks:globalprotect_app across multiple release trains (6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3). Because the app fails to properly validate the server certificate during tunnel establishment or update processes, an attacker who can intercept network traffic - via ARP spoofing, rogue Wi-Fi, or similar adjacent-network techniques - can present a fraudulent certificate that the app accepts, decrypting or manipulating the encrypted channel. The CVSS 4.0 AT:P (attack target prerequisites exist) component reflects the platform-specificity of the flaw: Linux, Windows, iOS, and the UWP variant are explicitly confirmed unaffected, leaving macOS and Android as the vulnerable deployment targets.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/AU:N/R:U/V:D/RE:M/U:Amber
Primary rating from Vendor (palo_alto) · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorVendor: palo_alto
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionCVE.org
Multiple improper certificate validation vulnerabilities in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect™ app enables an attacker to intercept encrypted communications and potentially compromise the endpoint. This can enable a local non-administrative operating system user or an attacker on the same subnet to redirect traffic to an unauthorized server and facilitate the installation of malicious software.
The GlobalProtect app on Linux, Windows, iOS and GlobalProtect UWP app are not affected.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
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EUVD-2026-30100
GHSA-h3p8-5g8q-vm3h
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB