A vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS® software enables unlicensed administrators to view clear-text data captured using the packet capture feature https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/pan-os/11-0/pan-os-admin/monitoring/take-packet-captures/take-a-custom-packet-capture in decrypted HTTP/2 data streams traversing network interfaces on the firewall. HTTP/1.1 data streams are not impacted.
In normal conditions, decrypted packet captures are available to firewall administrators after they obtain and install a free Decryption Port Mirror license. The license requirement ensures that this feature can only be used after approved personnel purposefully activate the license. For more information, review how to configure decryption port mirroring https://docs.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security/decryption/administration/monitoring-decryption/configure-decryption-port-mirroring .
The administrator must obtain network access to the management interface (web, SSH, console, or telnet) and successfully authenticate to exploit this issue. Risk of this issue can be greatly reduced by restricting access to the management interface to only trusted administrators and from only internal IP addresses according to our recommended critical deployment guidelines https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/community-blogs/tips-amp-tricks-how-to-secure-the-management-access-of-your-palo/ba-p/464431 .
Customer firewall administrators do not have access to the packet capture feature in Cloud NGFW. This feature is available only to authorized Palo Alto Networks personnel permitted to perform troubleshooting.
Prisma® Access is not impacted by this vulnerability.
The product stores sensitive information in cleartext within a resource that might be accessible to another control sphere.
Because the information is stored in cleartext (i.e., unencrypted), attackers could potentially read it. Even if the information is encoded in a way that is not human-readable, certain techniques could determine which encoding is being used, then decode the information. When organizations adopt cloud services, it can be easier for attackers to access the data from anywhere on the Internet. In some systems/environments such as cloud, the use of “double encryption” (at both the software and hardware layer) might be required, and the developer might be solely responsible for both layers, instead of shared responsibility with the administrator of the broader system/environment.