GlobalProtect App: Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerabilities
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-0251 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | palo_alto |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-05-13 19:16:59 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-05-14 16:21:23 UTC |
| Description | Multiple local privilege escalation vulnerabilities in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect™ app allow a local user to escalate their privileges to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM on Windows and root on macOS and Linux. This enables a non-administrative user to execute arbitrary commands with administrative privileges. The GlobalProtect app on iOS, Android, Chrome OS and GlobalProtect UWP app are not affected. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 5.9 MEDIUM from [email protected]
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/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:N/R:U/V:D/RE:M/U:Amber
EPSS: 0.000060000 probability, percentile 0.003590000 (date 2026-05-14)
Problem Types: CWE-426 | CWE-426 CWE-426 Untrusted Search Path
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 5.9 | MEDIUM | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 5.9 | MEDIUM | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/A... |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/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:N/R:U/V:D/RE:M/U:Amber
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Palo Alto Networks | GlobalProtect App | affected 6.3.0 6.3.3-h9 (6.3.3-999) custom | Windows |
| CNA | Palo Alto Networks | GlobalProtect App | affected 6.2.0 6.2.8-h10 (6.2.8-948) custom | Windows |
| CNA | Palo Alto Networks | GlobalProtect App | affected 6.0.0 6.0.13 custom | Windows |
| CNA | Palo Alto Networks | GlobalProtect App | affected 6.3.0 6.3.3-h9 (6.3.3-999) custom | macOS |
| CNA | Palo Alto Networks | GlobalProtect App | affected 6.2.0 6.2.8-h10 (6.2.8-948) custom | macOS |
| CNA | Palo Alto Networks | GlobalProtect App | affected 6.0.0 6.0.13 custom | macOS |
| CNA | Palo Alto Networks | GlobalProtect App | affected 6.3.0 6.3.3-h2 (6.3.3-42) custom | Linux |
| CNA | Palo Alto Networks | GlobalProtect App | affected 6.0.0 6.0.11 custom | Linux |
| CNA | Palo Alto Networks | Global Protect App | unaffected All custom | Android, ChromeOS, iOS, UWP |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2026-0251 | [email protected] | security.paloaltonetworks.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: Palo Alto Networks thanks our internal security research teams for discovering and reporting this issue. (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-05-13T16:00:00.000Z | Initial publication. |
Solutions
CNA: VERSION MINOR VERSION SUGGESTED SOLUTION GlobalProtect App 6.0 on Windows 6.0.0 through 6.0.12 Upgrade to 6.0.13 or later. GlobalProtect App 6.2 on Windows 6.2.0 through 6.2.8-h9 Upgrade to 6.2.8-h10 (6.2.8-948) or later. GlobalProtect App 6.3 on Windows 6.3.0 through 6.3.3-h8 Upgrade to 6.3.3-h9 (6.3.3-999) or later. GlobalProtect App 6.0 on macOS 6.0.0 through 6.0.12 Upgrade to 6.0.13 or later. GlobalProtect App 6.2 on macOS 6.2.0 through 6.2.8-h9 Upgrade to 6.2.8-h10 (6.2.8-948) or later. GlobalProtect App 6.3 on macOS 6.3.0 through 6.3.3-h8 Upgrade to 6.3.3-h9 (6.3.3-999) or later. GlobalProtect App 6.0 on Linux 6.0.0 through 6.0.10 Upgrade to 6.0.11 or later GlobalProtect App 6.2 on Linux 6.2.0 through 6.2.9 Upgrade to 6.3.3-h2 (6.3.3-42) or later. GlobalProtect App 6.3 on Linux 6.3.0 through 6.3.3-h1 Upgrade to 6.3.3-h2 (6.3.3-42) or later. GlobalProtect App on Android No action needed. GlobalProtect App on Chrome OS No action needed. GlobalProtect App on iOS No action needed. GlobalProtect App on UWP No action needed.
Workarounds
CNA: No known workarounds exist for this issue.
Exploits
CNA: Palo Alto Networks is not aware of any malicious exploitation of these issues.