CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2022-0012 — Paloaltonetworks Cortex Xdr Agent security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.1

An improper link resolution before file access vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows platforms that enables a local user to delete arbitrary system files and impact the system integrity or cause a denial of service condition. This issue impacts: Cortex XDR agent 5.0 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 5.0.12; Cortex XDR agent 6.1 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 6.1.9; Cortex XDR agent 7.2 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 7.2.4; Cortex XDR agent 7.3 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 7.3.2.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.1 (3.1)
Published
2022-01-12
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
windows/system
Weaknesses
CWE-59

Affected products

  • paloaltonetworks / cortex_xdr_agent

Showing 1 representative product identities from 4 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Path traversal, unsafe upload, and file handling

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted filenames, archive entries, URLs, and path segments into read, write, include, extraction, and upload operations.
  • Identify filesystem roots, mount permissions, symbolic-link behavior, archive handling, and whether uploaded content is web-accessible or executable.
  • Review canonicalization and containment checks across supported operating systems and storage backends.

Remediate safely

  • Generate server-side storage identifiers and resolve paths beneath a fixed root using filesystem-aware containment checks.
  • Reject absolute, parent-relative, alternate-separator, device, link, and archive entries that escape the intended root.
  • Store uploads outside executable or served paths, validate type and size, and use private atomic temporary files.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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