CVE-2020-2040
📛 CVE Title
PAN-OS: Buffer overflow when Captive Portal or Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is enabled
Description
A buffer overflow vulnerability in PAN-OS allows an unauthenticated attacker to disrupt system processes and potentially execute arbitrary code with root privileges by sending a malicious request to the Captive Portal or Multi-Factor Authentication interface. This issue impacts: All versions of PAN-OS 8.0; PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.15; PAN-OS 9.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.0.9; PAN-OS 9.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.1.3.
Overview
- State
- —
- Assigner (CNA)
- —
- CVSS severity
- MEDIUM
- CVSS score
- 5.0 / 10
- CVSS vector
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C- Effective score
- 5.0 / 10 MEDIUM source: CNA overview
- CWE(s)
- —
- Reserved
- —
- Published
- 2020-09-14 00:00 UTC
- Last updated
- —
- Source
- https://www.rapid7.com/db/vulnerabilities/panos-cve-2020-2040/
NVD triage scoring NVD CVE 2.0
Layer NVD adds on top of the CNA's CVE record — published / last-modified timestamps, exploitability / impact subscores, and the FIRST.org EPSS probability that this CVE will be exploited in the wild in the next 30 days.
- NVD published
- 2020-09-09 17:15:25 UTC
- NVD last modified
- 2026-06-17 03:11:42 UTC
- NVD CVSS v3.1
- 9.8 / 10 CRITICAL source: psirt@paloaltonetworks.com
- NVD CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Exploitability subscore
- 3.9 / 10
- Impact subscore
- 5.9 / 10
- EPSS score
- 0.0394 (probability of exploitation in next 30 days)
- EPSS percentile
- 89.07% vs all CVEs — higher = more likely to be exploited, as of 2026-06-26
NVD-assigned CWE(s):
CWE-120
(differs from the CNA list above)
NVD / KEV / EPSS data refreshed 2026-06-26 14:08 UTC. Re-run the 🛰 Backfill from NVD button above to refresh.
European Union Vulnerability Database ENISA EUVD
ENISA's official EU repository for curated vulnerability intelligence. Carries a separate identifier (EUVD-YYYY-NNNN) and frequently exposes an earlier-published description + CVSS than NVD does.
- EUVD ID
-
EUVD-2020-22066 - Assigner
- palo_alto
- Published
- Sep 9, 2020, 4:45:27 PM
- Updated
- Sep 16, 2024, 10:40:15 PM
- EUVD base score (CVSS 3.1)
-
9.8 / 10
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - EUVD-reported EPSS
- 3.9400
- Vendors
- Palo Alto Networks
- Products
-
PAN-OS (9.0 <9.0.9)PAN-OS (8.0.*)PAN-OS (9.1 <9.1.3)PAN-OS (8.1 <8.1.15)
- Aliases
-
GHSA-pf79-9hv7-chg5
ENISA description: A buffer overflow vulnerability in PAN-OS allows an unauthenticated attacker to disrupt system processes and potentially execute arbitrary code with root privileges by sending a malicious request to the Captive Portal or Multi-Factor Authentication interface. This issue impacts: All versions of PAN-OS 8.0; PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.15; PAN-OS 9.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.0.9; PAN-OS 9.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.1.3.
EUVD references (1)
Affected products — CPE 2.3 (1) NVD
NVD's normalized CPE 2.3 matchers, used by vendor tools (vulnerability scanners, asset managers) for automated detection. Compare with the CNA's free-text "Affected products" section above.
cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendor references (0)
References embedded in the original CVE record by the assigning CNA.
None in the CVE record.
Web references (3)
DuckDuckGo results ranked by threat-intel / vendor advisory domains. Generated by the 🔎 Find references (web) button above — same flow as the Remediations search.
- https://attackerkb.com/topics/CVE-2020-2040 rapid7:attackerkb.com
- https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2020-2040 rapid7:security.paloaltonetworks.com
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-2040 rapid7:www.cve.org
NVD-tagged references (2)
Reference list NVD curates from the CNA record, vendor advisories, and third-party reports. The tag chips below are NVD's analyst-assigned categories.
- https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2020-2040 psirt@paloaltonetworks.com Vendor Advisory
- https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2020-2040 af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 Vendor Advisory
Remediations (10)
-
web:attack.mitre.org
This mitigation can be implemented through the following measures: Remove Legacy Software: Use Case: Disable or remove older versions of software that no longer receive updates or security patches (e.g., legacy Java, Adobe Flash). Implementation: A company removes Flash Player from all employee systems after it has reached its end-of-life date.
2026-06-04 01:27 UTC -
web:cheatsheetseries.owasp.org
Virtual Patching Cheat Sheet Introduction The goal with this cheat Sheet is to present a concise virtual patching framework that organizations can follow to maximize the timely implementation of mitigation protections. Definition: Virtual Patching A security policy enforcement layer which prevents and reports the exploitation attempt of a known vulnerability. The virtual patch works when the ...
2026-06-04 01:27 UTC -
web:nvd.nist.gov
The NVD is the U.S. government repository of standards based vulnerability management data represented using the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP). This data enables automation of vulnerability management, security measurement, and compliance. The NVD includes databases of security checklist references, security-related software flaws, product names, and impact metrics. For ...
2026-06-04 01:27 UTC -
web:portal.msrc.microsoft.com
The Security Update Guide provides information on the latest Microsoft security updates, helping users understand and address potential vulnerabilities effectively.
2026-06-04 01:27 UTC -
web:support.servicenow.com
Overview The advisories below document publicly disclosed Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures ( CVEs ) in the Now Platform by ServiceNow. Because ServiceNow uses various methods to communicate vulnerability information, patches, and other fixes, customers should review family, security patch , and hotfix release notes, which are available at https://docs.servicenow.com, for a complete list of ...
2026-06-04 01:27 UTC -
web:www.cisa.gov
. For more information see MAR-251132.c1.v1 Exploitation of SharePoint Vulnerabilities and CISA Releases Malware Analysis Report Associated with Microsoft SharePoint Vulnerabilities. Update (07/31/2025): CISA has updated this alert to provide clarification on antivirus and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, and details regarding mitigations related to the IIS server. Update (07 ...
2026-06-04 01:27 UTC -
web:www.cve.org
At cve .org, we provide the authoritative reference method for publicly known information-security vulnerabilities and exposures
2026-06-04 01:27 UTC -
web:www.forbes.com
Microsoft has confirmed that SharePoint Server is under mass global attack. Breaking: An emergency patch has now been released — update immediately.
2026-06-04 01:27 UTC -
web:www.secure.com
Remediation fully removes a vulnerability by fixing its root cause — through a patch , code fix , or system replacement. Mitigation reduces the risk of exploitation without removing the flaw itself, using controls like network segmentation or access restrictions.
2026-06-04 01:27 UTC -
web:zecurit.com
Get the complete breakdown of Microsoft's June 2026 Patch Tuesday. We analyze the latest security updates and all critical CVEs .
2026-06-04 01:27 UTC
AI Forensic Analysis
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