CVE-2022-0029VulnerabilityPublished 14 Sep 2022Updated 4 Jun 2025

CVE-2022-0029: Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent · Link Following

Affects Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR AgentSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 12% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Sep 2022
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent	Affected =7.7 =7.5 =5.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2022-0029 effectively, European organizations should: 1) Ensure that all Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent installations are updated to the latest available versions where this vulnerability is patched. Since no direct patch links are provided, organizations should consult Palo Alto Networks' official advisories and support channels for updates. 2) Restrict local access on endpoints to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of local attackers exploiting this vulnerability. 3) Implement strict endpoint security policies that limit the ability of users or processes to create or manipulate symbolic links in sensitive directories. 4) Monitor and audit the generation of technical support files and related logs for unusual activity that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5) Employ application whitelisting and endpoint privilege management to reduce the attack surface. 6) Educate users and administrators about the risks of local privilege escalation and the importance of maintaining updated security agents. 7) Consider network segmentation and zero trust principles to limit the impact of any local compromise. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling local access and symbolic link usage, which are directly relevant to this vulnerability's exploitation vector.

Description

An improper link resolution vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows devices allows a local attacker to read files on the system with elevated privileges when generating a tech support file.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-0029 can be considerable, especially for those relying on Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent for endpoint security. The ability for a local attacker to read sensitive files with elevated privileges can lead to exposure of confidential information, including intellectual property, personal data protected under GDPR, or security configurations. This could facilitate further lateral movement or privilege escalation within the network. While the vulnerability does not allow modification or denial of service, the confidentiality breach alone can have regulatory and reputational consequences. Organizations in sectors with strict data protection requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, may face compliance risks if sensitive data is exposed. Additionally, the local attack vector implies that an attacker must have some foothold on the device, so this vulnerability could be leveraged in multi-stage attacks where initial access is gained via phishing or other means. The medium severity score suggests that while the vulnerability is not trivial, it is not among the most critical, but it still warrants timely remediation to prevent potential exploitation.

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Symlink Attack (opens in a new tab)
Using Malicious Files (opens in a new tab)
Leverage Executable Code in Non-Executable Files (opens in a new tab)
Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2022-0029 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 7 Jul 2025, 02:26 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-59

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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