Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN Flaw Exposes Systems to Remote Code Execution

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A newly disclosed vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks' GlobalProtect VPN solution exposes organizations to phishing and credential theft campaigns via a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) attack. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-0133, affects the GlobalProtect gateway and portal features in multiple versions of PAN-OS, and was identified by XBOW researchers.

Vulnerability Overview

This reflected XSS vulnerability allows execution of malicious JavaScript in the browser sessions of authenticated Captive Portal users when they are tricked into clicking specially crafted links. While it carries a low CVSS base score (2.0) under default configurations, the risk escalates to medium severity (CVSS 5.5) when Clientless VPN is enabled—making it a more urgent threat for affected organizations.



Technical Details

  • CWE Classification: CWE-79 – Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation

  • CAPEC Classification: CAPEC-591 – Reflected XSS

  • Impact: Execution of JavaScript in the context of an authenticated session

  • PoC Status: Publicly available

  • Primary Attack Vector: Social engineering (phishing links)

The exploit allows attackers to present seemingly legitimate GlobalProtect-hosted links to users. Once clicked, the reflected payload executes in the user’s browser, potentially exposing session data or enabling phishing forms that appear fully trusted.

Attackers cannot modify the GlobalProtect portal or gateway configuration directly, but the ability to launch JavaScript within a legitimate session opens the door for advanced social engineering and session hijacking.

Affected Versions

According to Palo Alto Networks’ advisory, the following PAN-OS versions are vulnerable:

  • Cloud NGFW: All versions

  • PAN-OS 11.2: Prior to 11.2.7 (patch expected June 2025)

  • PAN-OS 11.1: Prior to 11.1.11 (patch expected July 2025)

  • PAN-OS 10.2: Prior to 10.2.17 (patch expected August 2025)

  • PAN-OS 10.1: All versions

  • Prisma Access is not affected.

Mitigation Guidance

Until official patches are released, organizations are strongly advised to implement the following mitigations:

  1. Apply Threat Prevention Signatures:

    • Enable Threat IDs 510003 and 510004 (available in Applications and Threats content version 8970) for customers with Threat Prevention subscriptions.

  2. Disable Clientless VPN (if not business-critical), as it increases the exploitability of this vulnerability.

  3. User Awareness Training:

    • Educate users about phishing attacks and the dangers of clicking suspicious VPN-related links, even if they appear internal or trusted.

  4. Plan for Patching:

    • Monitor Palo Alto’s updates and upgrade to the recommended versions as soon as they are available.

Final Thoughts

While Palo Alto Networks has stated that there is no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation, the public release of a proof-of-concept significantly increases the chance of attacks in the near future.

Organizations relying on GlobalProtect—especially those using the Clientless VPN feature—should prioritize mitigation and treat this reflected XSS flaw as a real-world phishing risk until patched.

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