CVE-2026-0286 pan-os vulnerability

Who is affected

How to fix it

Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS is affected by CVE-2026-0286, a command execution risk. A command injection vulnerability in the management plane of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS® software enables an authenticated administrator to execute arbitrary OS commands as root. The recommended remediation is to update to PAN-OS 12.1.8, 11.2.13, 11.1.16, 10.2.18-h8, or a later supported hotfix for the deployed branch. Until the update is complete, restrict management plane access to trusted administrators and networks, review logs, and reduce exposure of the affected service or workflow.

1. Inventory every deployment, package, appliance, container, service, and managed environment that uses Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS.
2. Confirm the installed version and compare it with listed affected versions include 10.2.7, 10.2.10, 10.2.13, 10.2.16, 10.2.17, 10.2.18, 11.1.4, 11.1.5, 11.1.6, 11.1.10, 11.1.13, 11.2.4, 11.2.7, 11.2.10, 12.1.4, 12.1.7 and the source advisory for CVE-2026-0286.
3. Apply the vendor-supported fix: update to PAN-OS 12.1.8, 11.2.13, 11.1.16, 10.2.18-h8, or a later supported hotfix for the deployed branch.
4. If the update cannot be applied immediately, restrict management plane access to trusted administrators and networks; disable unnecessary public access, endpoints, plugins, integrations, or management interfaces until patched.
5. Review application, device, reverse-proxy, WAF, package manager, container, authentication, and audit logs for activity related to CVE-2026-0286.
6. Rotate sessions, API tokens, service credentials, integration keys, and administrator passwords if logs or affected data indicate compromise or unauthorized access.
7. Clear caches, restart affected services, rebuild affected containers or appliances when appropriate, and remove temporary files or stored payloads created during exploitation attempts.

Verify the fix

• Confirm Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS now reports PAN-OS 12.1.8, 11.2.13, 11.1.16, 10.2.18-h8, or a later supported hotfix for the deployed branch or a later vendor-supported fixed release for the deployed branch.
• Verify the affected workflow no longer allows the behavior described in CVE-2026-0286, using a safe regression test or vendor-provided validation method.
• Review logs after remediation for continued exploit attempts, denial-of-service symptoms, suspicious redirects, unauthorized requests, file access, or configuration changes.
• Rerun a Fixnx scan and any product-specific scanner, package audit, device health check, or manual regression test relevant to the affected service.
• Document affected assets, fixed versions, mitigation decisions, validation evidence, and any cleanup or credential rotation performed.

Related categories

Trusted references

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