CVE-2026-0232
Cortex XDR Agent: Local Administrator can disable the agent on Windows
Description
A problem with a protection mechanism in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows allows a local Windows administrator to disable the agent. This issue may be leveraged by malware to perform malicious activity without detection.
INFO
Published Date :
April 13, 2026, 8:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
July 7, 2026, 6:19 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-0232
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | MEDIUM | d6c1279f-00f6-4ef7-9217-f89ffe703ec0 | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update the Cortex XDR agent software.
- Verify agent protection mechanism is enforced.
- Monitor for unauthorized agent disablement.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-0232.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2026-0232 | Vendor Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-0232 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-0232
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-0232 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-0232 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jul. 07, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CWE NVD-CWE-noinfo Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:a:paloaltonetworks:cortex_xdr_agent:*:*:*:*:critical_environment:*:*:* versions from (including) 8.7.0 up to (excluding) 8.7.101 *cpe:2.3:a:paloaltonetworks:cortex_xdr_agent:7.9:*:*:*:critical_environment:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:a:paloaltonetworks:cortex_xdr_agent:8.3:*:*:*:critical_environment:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:a:paloaltonetworks:cortex_xdr_agent:8.9.0:-:*:*:-:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:a:paloaltonetworks:cortex_xdr_agent:9.0.0:-:*:*:-:*:*:* OR cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Added Reference Type Palo Alto Networks, Inc.: https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2026-0232 Types: Vendor Advisory -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Jun. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'Palo Alto Networks', 'product': 'Cortex XDR Agent', 'versions': [{'status': 'unaffected', 'changes': [{'at': '5.10.14', 'status': 'unaffected'}], 'version': '9.1.0', 'lessThan': '5.10.14', 'versionType': 'custom'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '9.0', 'versionType': 'custom'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '8.9', 'versionType': 'custom'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '8.7-CE', 'versionType': 'custom'}], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:2.3:a:palo_alto_networks:cortex_xdr_agent:9.0.0:*:*:*:*:Windows:*:*', 'cpe:2.3:a:palo_alto_networks:cortex_xdr_agent:8.9.0:*:*:*:*:Windows:*:*', 'cpe:2.3:a:palo_alto_networks:cortex_xdr_agent:8.7-CE:*:*:*:*:Windows:*:*'], 'vendor': 'Palo Alto Networks', 'product': 'Cortex XDR Agent', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'changes': [{'at': '9.0.1', 'status': 'unaffected'}], 'version': '9.0', 'lessThan': '9.0.1', 'versionType': 'custom'}, {'status': 'affected', 'changes': [{'at': '8.9.1', 'status': 'unaffected'}], 'version': '8.9', 'lessThan': '8.9.1', 'versionType': 'custom'}, {'status': 'affected', 'changes': [{'at': '8.7.101-CE', 'status': 'unaffected'}], 'version': '8.7-CE', 'lessThan': '8.7.101-CE', 'versionType': 'custom'}, {'status': 'affected', 'changes': [{'at': '8.3-CE', 'status': 'unaffected'}], 'version': '8.3-CE', 'lessThan': '8.3-CE-CU-2120', 'versionType': 'custom'}, {'status': 'affected', 'changes': [{'at': '7.9-CE', 'status': 'unaffected'}], 'version': '7.9-CE', 'lessThan': '7.9-CE-CU-2120', 'versionType': 'custom'}], 'platforms': ['Windows'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jun. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-0232', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-04-13T13:14:26.660757Z'} -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Apr. 13, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description A problem with a protection mechanism in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows allows a local Windows administrator to disable the agent. This issue may be leveraged by malware to perform malicious activity without detection. Added CVSS V4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:Y/R:U/V:D/RE:M/U:Amber Added CWE CWE-15 Added Reference https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2026-0232