Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain local user session on managed macOS host
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DeliveryLocate GlobalProtect log or configuration file containing passcode
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ExploitRead exposed passcode from accessible file
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ExecutionEnter passcode in GlobalProtect UI to disable or uninstall agent
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ImpactEndpoint protection controls bypassed, telemetry and enforcement lost
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A09:2025 - Security Logging & Alerting Failures
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Log data sanitization
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires a local user account on the macOS system running the GlobalProtect app - matching the CVSS PR:L (Low Privileges) metric. The critical limiting condition is that the GlobalProtect deployment must be configured with a passcode (disable, disconnect, or uninstall passcode) set by the administrator; if no passcode is configured, there is no secret to expose and no bypass to achieve. The vulnerability only matters in environments where administrators have deliberately enabled passcode-based lockout as an enforcement mechanism. Exploitation is further constrained to macOS (per description); the UWP CPE listing introduces platform ambiguity not yet clarified by vendor. No network access, special software, or elevated privileges are required beyond a standard local session. The main factor limiting real-world impact is the local-access prerequisite - remote unauthenticated exploitation is not possible given the AV:L vector. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is moderate-to-elevated for organizations relying on GlobalProtect passcodes as an enforcement boundary. The CVSS 4.0 base score of 4.4 reflects local-only access and no active exploitation, but the qualitative impact is higher than the number suggests: the passcode mechanism is specifically designed to prevent security bypass, so its compromise directly undermines a deliberate defensive control. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/PR:L/VC:H) confirms the exploit is local and low-privileged, meaning it requires an attacker already on the machine - but insider threat scenarios and post-compromise lateral movement both fit this profile well. No EPSS score was provided in available data; exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified. CISA KEV status is absent, and the E:U supplemental metric indicates no reported exploitation. However, the R:A (Automatable: No) and V:D (Value Density: Diffuse) metrics suggest this is not a mass-exploitation risk but rather a targeted attack enabler. The advisory cross-references CVE-2024-8687, a prior Palo Alto advisory in the same product area, suggesting a pattern of similar disclosure. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A low-privileged local user on a managed macOS endpoint - such as a contractor, disgruntled employee, or attacker with initial foothold via phishing - reads a GlobalProtect log or configuration file containing the administrator-set passcode in cleartext or recoverable form. Armed with the passcode, the user enters it into the GlobalProtect interface to disconnect or uninstall the agent, removing endpoint telemetry, DLP enforcement, and VPN split-tunnel controls for their session without triggering the intended administrative lockout. No public exploit code exists at time of analysis, but the technique requires no specialized tooling. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jun 10, 2026
GlobalProtect app on macOS exposes administrator-configured passcodes - used to restrict disabling, disconnecting, or uninstalling the endpoint agent - to unprivileged local users. A local user who reads the exposed passcode can then bypass endpoint protection controls that are specifically designed to prevent such actions, effectively disabling Palo Alto's endpoint security enforcement on the affected machine. No public exploit exists at time of analysis, and CVSS 4.0 supplemental metrics classify exploitation likelihood as 'Unreported' (E:U), though the impact on security posture is significant given that the passcode mechanism is the primary access control preventing users from circumventing GlobalProtect.
RemediationAI
The primary remediation is to apply the vendor-released patch per the Palo Alto Networks security advisory at https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2026-0267; however, no specific fixed version number was included in available data and cannot be independently confirmed. Until a patched version is deployed, compensating controls should focus on reducing the exposure window: administrators can rotate GlobalProtect passcodes to invalidate any already-exposed values, though this is reactive rather than preventive. Restricting local user access to GlobalProtect log and configuration directories via macOS file system permissions (where operationally feasible) may limit exposure, but this trade-off risks interfering with normal app operation. Organizations in high-risk environments should consider temporarily removing passcode-only enforcement and supplementing with additional endpoint controls (MDM enrollment lock, Jamf restrictions) until a patch is applied. The related advisory CVE-2024-8687 at https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2024-8687 may provide additional context on mitigations applicable across both issues.
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
The vulnerability is rooted in CWE-532 (Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File), meaning GlobalProtect's macOS agent writes administrator-configured passcodes into a file - likely a log, preference file, or configuration artifact - that is readable by non-privileged local users. GlobalProtect passcodes are security controls set by enterprise administrators to lock end users out of modifying or removing the endpoint agent, a common zero-trust enforcement mechanism. When these secrets leak into world-readable or user-readable files, the underlying trust model of the control collapses. Affected products per CPE data include cpe:2.3:a:palo_alto_networks:globalprotect_app and cpe:2.3:a:palo_alto_networks:globalprotect_uwp_app, though the CVE description explicitly names macOS as the affected platform; the inclusion of the UWP (Universal Windows Platform) CPE string is a potential data inconsistency worth vendor clarification.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/AU:N/R:A/V:D/RE:M/U:Amber
Local access and low privileges required to read files; high confidentiality loss from passcode exposure; low availability impact from potential agent disablement; no integrity impact directly.
Primary rating from Vendor (palo_alto).
CVSS VectorVendor: palo_alto
Lifecycle Timeline
1DescriptionCVE.org
An information exposure vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect app on macOS enables a local user to learn the configured passcodes for disabling, disconnecting, or uninstalling the GlobalProtect app. After the passcode is known, the user can perform these actions even if the GlobalProtect app configuration would not normally permit them to do so.
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
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
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GHSA-vx9j-g89f-rrvx
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
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