CISA Mandates Critical Security Patches for LoadMaster and PAN-OS Vulnerabilities

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The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has expanded its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog to include recently discovered security flaws affecting Progress Kemp LoadMaster and Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS systems.

The newly added vulnerabilities could allow malicious actors to gain unauthorized access and control of affected systems. Federal agencies must patch these vulnerabilities by December 5, 2024, as mandated by CISA.

The first vulnerability (CVE-2024-1212) affects Progress Kemp LoadMaster and enables unauthorized remote attackers to execute system commands without authentication, potentially compromising the entire system.

Two vulnerabilities were identified in Palo Alto Networks' PAN-OS platform. The first (CVE-2024-0012) allows attackers to bypass authentication on the management interface and gain administrator access. This flaw impacts PAN-OS versions 10.2 through 11.2, though Cloud NGFW and Prisma Access remain unaffected.

The second PAN-OS vulnerability (CVE-2024-9474) enables system administrators to escalate their privileges to root level through the management interface, potentially allowing complete system control.

Under Binding Operational Directive 22-01, federal civilian agencies must implement patches for these vulnerabilities within the specified timeframe. While private organizations are not bound by this directive, CISA strongly recommends they review and address these security issues in their infrastructure.

These vulnerabilities represent serious security risks as they could enable unauthorized system access and control. Organizations using affected systems should prioritize implementing available security updates to protect their networks from potential exploitation.