Multiple Vulnerabilities in Palo Alto Network’s Expedition Could Allow for Arbitrary Code Execution

Multiple Vulnerabilities in Palo Alto Network’s Expedition have been discovered, the most severe of which could allow for arbitrary code execution on Palo Alto Firewalls. Palo Alto Network’s Expedition is a migration tool designed to help organizations move configurations from other firewall platforms to Palo Alto’s PAN-OS. Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow for arbitrary code execution in the context of the root user. Depending on the privileges associated with the user, an attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data.

Palo Alto Networks is not aware of any malicious exploitation of these issues.

Multiple vulnerabilities in Palo Alto Network’s Expedition have been discovered, the most severe of which could allow for arbitrary code execution. Details of these vulnerabilities are as follows:

Tactic: Privilege Escalation (TA0029):

Technique: Exploit OS Vulnerability (T1404):

• An OS command injection vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Expedition allows an unauthenticated attacker to run arbitrary OS commands as root in Expedition, resulting in disclosure of usernames, cleartext passwords, device configurations, and device API keys of PAN-OS firewalls (CVE-2024-9463).
• An OS command injection vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Expedition allows an authenticated attacker to run arbitrary OS commands as root in Expedition, resulting in disclosure of usernames, cleartext passwords, device configurations, and device API keys of PAN-OS firewalls (CVE-2024-9464).
• An SQL injection vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Expedition allows an unauthenticated attacker to reveal Expedition database contents, such as password hashes, usernames, device configurations, and device API keys. With this, attackers can also create and read arbitrary files on the Expedition system (CVE-2024-9465).

Additional lower severity vulnerabilities include:

• A cleartext storage of sensitive information vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Expedition allows an authenticated attacker to reveal firewall usernames, passwords, and API keys generated using those credentials (CVE-2024-9466).
• A reflected XSS vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Expedition enables execution of malicious JavaScript in the context of an authenticated Expedition user’s browser if that user clicks on a malicious link, allowing phishing attacks that could lead to Expedition browser session theft (CVE-2024-9467).

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow for arbitrary code execution in the context of the root user. Depending on the privileges associated with the user, an attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data.

We recommend the following actions be taken:

• Apply the updates provided by Palo Alto to vulnerable systems immediately after appropriate testing. If Expedition is not in active use, ensure that Expedition software is shut down. (M1051: Update Software, M1042: Disable or Remove Feature or Program)
• Safeguard 4.8: Uninstall or Disable Unnecessary Services on Enterprise Assets and Software: Uninstall or disable unnecessary services on enterprise assets and software, such as an unused file sharing service, web application module, or service function.
• Safeguard 7.1 : Establish and Maintain a Vulnerability Management Process: Establish and maintain a documented vulnerability management process for enterprise assets. Review and update documentation annually, or when significant enterprise changes occur that could impact this Safeguard.
• Safeguard 7.2: Establish and Maintain a Remediation Process: Establish and maintain a risk-based remediation strategy documented in a remediation process, with monthly, or more frequent, reviews.
• Safeguard 7.4: Perform Automated Application Patch Management: Perform application updates on enterprise assets through automated patch management on a monthly, or more frequent, basis.
• Safeguard 7.5 : Perform Automated Vulnerability Scans of Internal Enterprise Assets: Perform automated vulnerability scans of internal enterprise assets on a quarterly, or more frequent, basis. Conduct both authenticated and unauthenticated scans, using a SCAP-compliant vulnerability scanning tool.
• Safeguard 7.7: Remediate Detected Vulnerabilities: Remediate detected vulnerabilities in software through processes and tooling on a monthly, or more frequent, basis, based on the remediation process.
• Safeguard 12.1: Ensure Network Infrastructure is Up-to-Date: Ensure network infrastructure is kept up-to-date. Example implementations include running the latest stable release of software and/or using currently supported network-as-a-service (NaaS) offerings. Review software versions monthly, or more frequently, to verify software support.
• Safeguard 18.1: Establish and Maintain a Penetration Testing Program: Establish and maintain a penetration testing program appropriate to the size, complexity, and maturity of the enterprise. Penetration testing program characteristics include scope, such as network, web application, Application Programming Interface (API), hosted services, and physical premise controls; frequency; limitations, such as acceptable hours, and excluded attack types; point of contact information; remediation, such as how findings will be routed internally; and retrospective requirements.
• Safeguard 18.2: Perform Periodic External Penetration Tests: Perform periodic external penetration tests based on program requirements, no less than annually. External penetration testing must include enterprise and environmental reconnaissance to detect exploitable information. Penetration testing requires specialized skills and experience and must be conducted through a qualified party. The testing may be clear box or opaque box.
• Safeguard 18.3: Remediate Penetration Test Findings: Remediate penetration test findings based on the enterprise’s policy for remediation scope and prioritization.

• Apply the Principle of Least Privilege to all systems and services. Run all software as a non-privileged user (one without administrative privileges) to diminish the effects of a successful attack. (M1026: Privileged Account Management)
• Safeguard 4.7: Manage Default Accounts on Enterprise Assets and Software: Manage default accounts on enterprise assets and software, such as root, administrator, and other pre-configured vendor accounts. Example implementations can include: disabling default accounts or making them unusable.
• Safeguard 5.5: Establish and Maintain an Inventory of Service Accounts: Establish and maintain an inventory of service accounts. The inventory, at a minimum, must contain department owner, review date, and purpose. Perform service account reviews to validate that all active accounts are authorized, on a recurring schedule at a minimum quarterly, or more frequently.

• Vulnerability scanning is used to find potentially exploitable software vulnerabilities to remediate them. (M1016: Vulnerability Scanning)
• Safeguard 16.13: Conduct Application Penetration Testing: Conduct application penetration testing. For critical applications, authenticated penetration testing is better suited to finding business logic vulnerabilities than code scanning and automated security testing. Penetration testing relies on the skill of the tester to manually manipulate an application as an authenticated and unauthenticated user.

• Architect sections of the network to isolate critical systems, functions, or resources. Use physical and logical segmentation to prevent access to potentially sensitive systems and information. Use a DMZ to contain any internet-facing services that should not be exposed from the internal network. Configure separate virtual private cloud (VPC) instances to isolate critical cloud systems. (M1030: Network Segmentation)
• Safeguard 12.2: Establish and Maintain a Secure Network Architecture: Establish and maintain a secure network architecture. A secure network architecture must address segmentation, least privilege, and availability, at a minimum.

• Use capabilities to detect and block conditions that may lead to or be indicative of a software exploit occurring. (M1050: Exploit Protection)
• Safeguard 10.5: Enable Anti-Exploitation Features: Enable anti-exploitation features on enterprise assets and software, where possible, such as Microsoft® Data Execution Prevention (DEP), Windows® Defender Exploit Guard (WDEG), or Apple® System Integrity Protection (SIP) and Gatekeeper™.