CVE-2017-15944

CRITICALNVD 9.89.8—Trending — 4 sources updated this weekExploited in the wild

9.8

Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS before 6.1.19, 7.0.x before 7.0.19, 7.1.x before 7.1.14, and 8.0.x before 8.0.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving the management interface.

CVSS v3: 9.8
EG Score: 9.8(high)
EPSS: 99.9%
KEV: ⚠ Exploited

Published

December 11, 2017

Last Modified

April 22, 2026

Advisory Details (5)

Auto-updated May 12, 2026

🔬 Proof of concept available. No patch confirmed yet.

generic🟡 PoC Available

Palo Alto Networks - 'readSessionVarsFromFile()' Session Corruption (Metasploit) - Unix remote Exploit

https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/44597/

generic🟡 PoC Available

Palo Alto Networks Firewalls - Root Remote Code Execution - Hardware remote Exploit

https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/43342/

generic

CVE-2017-15944 Vulnerability in PAN-OS and Panorama on Management Interface

https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2017-15944

generic

http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040007

generic

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/102079

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

CWE-20Improper Input Validation

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 20× in last 7d / 20× in last 30d)

Every time one of our enrichment pipelines (NVD, MITRE cvelistV5, EPSS, CISA KEV, GHSA, OSV, vendor advisories) ran against this CVE. Most recent first.

2026-06-08 11:33 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-08 11:33 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-08 07:23 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-08 07:23 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-08 03:14 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-08 03:14 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 23:04 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 23:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 18:54 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 18:54 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 14:44 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 14:44 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 10:34 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 10:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 06:25 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 06:25 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 02:15 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 02:15 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-06 22:05 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-06 22:05 UTCGHSA enrichment

Publicly available exploits

(6 references)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Metasploit module) (2 GitHub PoCs) (2 Exploit-DB entries). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

GitHub PoCsurajraghuvanshi/PaloAltoRceDetectionAndExploit
First seen May 24, 2018
Detecion for the vulnerability CVE-2017-15944
Open source ↗
Exploit-DBEDB-44597✓ verified
First seen May 8, 2018
Palo Alto Networks - 'readSessionVarsFromFile()' Session Corruption (Metasploit)
Open source ↗
GitHub PoCxxnbyy/CVE-2017-15944-POC
First seen Dec 19, 2017
CVE-2017-15944 Palo Alto Networks firewalls remote root code execution POC
Open source ↗
Exploit-DBEDB-43342✓ verified
First seen Dec 14, 2017
Palo Alto Networks Firewalls - Root Remote Code Execution
Open source ↗
Metasploitexploit/linux/http/panos_readsessionvars✓ verified
First seen Dec 11, 2017
Palo Alto Networks readSessionVarsFromFile() Session Corruption
Open source ↗
Nucleihttp/cves/2017/CVE-2017-15944.yaml
First seen Jan 1, 2017
Palo Alto Network PAN-OS - Remote Code Execution
Open source ↗

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2017-15944?

CVE-2017-15944 is a critical vulnerability published on December 11, 2017. Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS before 6.1.19, 7.0.x before 7.0.19, 7.1.x before 7.1.14, and 8.0.x before 8.0.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving the management interface.

When was CVE-2017-15944 disclosed?

CVE-2017-15944 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on December 11, 2017, with the most recent update on April 22, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.

Is CVE-2017-15944 actively exploited?

Yes. CISA added CVE-2017-15944 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on August 18, 2022, affecting Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS. KEV listing indicates confirmed exploitation in the wild; this CVE warrants immediate patching attention.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-15944?

CVE-2017-15944 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 (NVD).

Which products are affected by CVE-2017-15944?

CVE-2017-15944 affects Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS. The full affected-products list, including version ranges and fixed versions, is shown in the Affected Packages section of this page.

How do I remediate CVE-2017-15944?

Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2017-15944, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2017-15944

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Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2017-15944?

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CVE-2017-15944

📅 Published

🔄 Last Modified

📋 Advisory Details (5)

Palo Alto Networks - 'readSessionVarsFromFile()' Session Corruption (Metasploit) - Unix remote Exploit

Palo Alto Networks Firewalls - Root Remote Code Execution - Hardware remote Exploit

CVE-2017-15944 Vulnerability in PAN-OS and Panorama on Management Interface

Weakness Classification(1)

Data Freshness Timeline

Publicly available exploits

❓ Frequently asked(6)

Dependency Blast Radius

Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2017-15944?

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Advisory Details (5)

Frequently asked(6)

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