CVE-2025-2182 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Palo Alto Networks Cloud NGFW, specifically the PA-7500 Series devices configured in a Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) cluster using the MACsec protocol. The vulnerability arises from improper implementation of MACsec, leading to the cleartext storage or exposure of the Connectivity Association Key (CAK). The CAK is a critical cryptographic key used to secure communication between devices in the NGFW cluster. If an attacker gains access to this key, they can decrypt and read messages exchanged between clustered firewalls, compromising confidentiality. This vulnerability does not affect standalone firewalls or clusters that do not enable MACsec. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 5.6, indicating a medium severity level. Exploitation requires possession of the CAK, which implies a high privilege requirement (PR:H) and physical or administrative access to the device or its stored keys. No user interaction is needed once the key is obtained. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (read access to inter-device messages) but does not affect integrity or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild as of the publication date, and no patches have been linked yet. The issue is classified under CWE-312, which relates to cleartext storage of sensitive information, a common security weakness that can lead to exposure of cryptographic keys and sensitive data.

For European organizations deploying Palo Alto Networks PA-7500 Series firewalls in clustered NGFW configurations with MACsec enabled, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality of inter-firewall communications. An attacker who obtains the CAK could intercept and decrypt sensitive traffic between firewalls, potentially exposing internal network data, security policies, or management traffic. This could facilitate further lateral movement, reconnaissance, or targeted attacks within the network. Given that PA-7500 Series devices are typically used in large enterprise or service provider environments, the impact could be substantial for critical infrastructure, financial institutions, and government agencies in Europe. The vulnerability does not affect standalone firewalls or clusters without MACsec, limiting the scope somewhat. However, organizations relying on MACsec for securing cluster communications must consider the risk of key exposure and potential data leakage. The medium severity rating reflects the requirement for high privileges to exploit and the limited scope to clustered devices only, but the confidentiality impact remains notable.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting access to the PA-7500 devices and their stored keys, ensuring only trusted administrators have high-level privileges. 2. Disable MACsec on NGFW clusters if it is not strictly required, to eliminate exposure of the CAK. 3. Monitor and audit access logs for any unusual administrative activity or attempts to access key storage areas on the devices. 4. Implement network segmentation and strict access controls around firewall management interfaces to reduce the risk of key compromise. 5. Upon availability, promptly apply vendor patches or firmware updates addressing this vulnerability. 6. Consider deploying additional encryption or key management solutions external to the firewall cluster to protect sensitive keys. 7. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on key management and inter-device communication security within NGFW clusters. 8. Educate network and security teams about the risks of cleartext key storage and best practices for secure key handling in clustered environments.