Vulnerability

CVE-2020-2021

Critical· 10.0KEVCVSS10EPSS19%

.rules3/5

Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS contains a vulnerability in SAML which allows an attacker to bypass authentication.

Threat signal

100/100

Severe

Severity

critical

CVSS

10.0

EPSS

19%

Active

KEV

CISA KEV — actively exploited

Ransomware: Known1520d overdue

AffectedPalo Alto Networks — PAN-OS

Added to KEV

2022-03-25

Federal patch due (BOD 22-01)

2022-04-15

Required action (CISA verbatim)

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Vendor advisory + references

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-2021

CISA description: “Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS contains a vulnerability in SAML which allows an attacker to bypass authentication.”

CVSS

v3.1Open in FIRST calculator →

10.0/ 10CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack VectorNetworkExploitable remotely over the internet — no local access needed.
Attack ComplexityLowNo special conditions — exploit works reliably.
Privileges RequiredNoneUnauthenticated — no credentials needed.
User InteractionNoneFully automated — no victim action needed.
ScopeChangedImpact extends beyond the vulnerable component (e.g. sandbox escape).
Confidentiality ImpactHighTotal disclosure of sensitive data.
Integrity ImpactHighTotal compromise of integrity — full data modification possible.
Availability ImpactHighTotal loss of availability — full DoS possible.

EPSS

Exploit prediction · 30-day horizonFIRST.org →

19.0%

probability of exploitation in next 30 days

p95

higher than 95% of all CVEs

3-day trend↑ 0pp

Above the FIRST 'patch on a priority schedule' threshold.

Vendor VEX

No VEX statements published for CVE-2020-2021. Vendors publish VEX (Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange) to assert per-product whether a CVE is actually exploitable in their distribution.

SSVCAct

Active exploitation with total impact on essential/support systems

exploitation: active
automatable: yes
impact: total
mission: support

Lifecycle

2022-03-25Added to CISA KEVransomware: Known
2022-03-25Published
2022-04-15Federal patch due (BOD 22-01)
2026-06-12Last modified1 source

No source-event history recorded yet. New revisions will appear here as ingestors re-fetch this CVE.