Actively exploited vulnerability
Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS: memory corruption flaw under attack
CVE-2026-0300 · Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Out-of-bounds Write Vulnerability
What is affected
Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS is mostly run by companies, schools and public bodies, not on home computers. You are unlikely to have it yourself, but organisations that hold your data may. Breaches that start with flaws like this one are how personal data ends up leaked.
Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the User-ID Authentication Portal (aka Captive Portal) service that can allow an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code with root privileges on the PA-Series and VM-Series firewalls by sending specially crafted packets.
What an attacker can do
This is a memory corruption flaw. It lets an attacker corrupt the program's memory by feeding it specially crafted content: a web page, a file or a network message. The result ranges from a crash to the attacker running their own code.
- How it is reached
- Over the internet or network
- Access the attacker needs
- No account needed
- Does the victim have to do something?
- No, works without the victim doing anything
What to do
- At home: nothing to install. Keep your own devices updated and use a different password for every service, so that a breach at one organisation does not open your other accounts.
- If you administer Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS at work: apply the vendor's fix or mitigation now and review logs for signs of compromise, because the flaw was being exploited before it was listed.
- If the product is past its support date and no fix exists, take it off the internet or retire it.
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Until the vendor releases an official fix, the following workaround should be implemented: - Restrict User-ID Authentication Portal access to only trusted zones. - Disable User-ID Authentication Portal if not required. 5/13/2026: Palo Alto has released a variety of patches. If these are relevant to your environment, please apply the designated patch.
Vendor advisories and fixes
- security.paloaltonetworks.comsecurity.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2026-0300
How urgent is it
CISA added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on May 6, 2026, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by May 9, 2026, a deadline that has already passed. That deadline does not bind anyone else, but it shows how seriously the agency rates it.
The EPSS model estimates a 32% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 98% of all scored vulnerabilities.
Its CVSS severity score is 9.3 out of 10 (critical), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.
Technical description
A buffer overflow vulnerability in the User-ID™ Authentication Portal (aka Captive Portal) service of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code with root privileges on the PA-Series and VM-Series firewalls by sending specially crafted packets. The risk of this issue is greatly reduced if you secure access to the User-ID™ Authentication Portal per the best practice guidelines https://knowledgebase.paloaltonetworks.com/KCSArticleDetail by restricting access to only trusted internal IP addresses. Prisma Access, Cloud NGFW and Panorama appliances are not impacted by this vulnerability.