CVE-2020-1975 | Missing XML Validation in PAN-OS Web Interface

Missing XML validation vulnerability in the PAN-OS web interface on Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software allows authenticated users to inject arbitrary XML that results in privilege escalation. This issue affects PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.12 and PAN-OS 9.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.0.6. This issue does not affect PAN-OS 7.1, PAN-OS 8.0, or PAN-OS 9.1 or later versions.

Published: 2020-02-12 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2020-1975 is rated Moderate Risk (48.1/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.00%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2020-1975

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.38% 1.00% +0.61%
2 2025-12-28 0.32% 0.38% +0.07%
3 2025-12-27 — 0.32% —

Full EPSS history (16 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2020-1975

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.8 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 0.9 5.9 [email protected]
8.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.8 5.9 [email protected]
6.5 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 8.0 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2020-1975

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2020-1975

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
paloaltonetworks pan-os >= 8.1.0, < 8.1.12 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
paloaltonetworks pan-os >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.6 cpe:2.3:o:paloaltonetworks:pan-os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2020-1975

cvelogic Threat Intelligence