CVE-2026-0292: Prisma Access Agent Auth Bypass Flaw

CVE-2026-0292 Overview

CVE-2026-0292 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in the network driver of Palo Alto Networks Prisma® Access Agent on Windows. A local administrator can bypass security inspection performed by the agent. Once inspection is bypassed, the attacker can inject and intercept arbitrary network traffic on the affected host.

The issue is limited to the Windows implementation. Prisma Access Agent on Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, and Chrome OS is not affected. The weakness is classified under [CWE-290] Authentication Bypass by Spoofing.

Critical Impact
A local administrator on Windows can bypass Prisma Access Agent inspection and inject or intercept network traffic protected by the agent.

Affected Products

Palo Alto Networks Prisma® Access Agent on Windows
Non-Windows Prisma Access Agent builds (Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome OS) are not affected
Refer to the vendor advisory for the exact affected version range

Discovery Timeline

2026-08-13 - CVE CVE-2026-0292 published to NVD
2026-08-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-0292

Vulnerability Analysis

The flaw resides in the network driver component of Prisma Access Agent on Windows. The driver is responsible for enforcing security inspection on traffic that flows through the agent. Because the driver does not properly validate the identity of the entity communicating with it, a local administrator can present crafted requests that the driver accepts as legitimate.

Once the driver accepts unauthenticated or spoofed requests, security inspection is no longer applied to selected traffic. The attacker can then inject arbitrary packets or intercept packets traversing the endpoint. This undermines a core control that Prisma Access is expected to enforce on managed Windows hosts.

Exploitation requires local access and administrator privileges. The scope of impact, however, extends beyond the local system because the attacker can manipulate network traffic that would normally be inspected by the enterprise Prisma Access policy.

Root Cause

The root cause is an authentication bypass by spoofing [CWE-290] in the Windows network driver. The driver trusts a caller identity that a local administrator can forge, allowing the attacker to interact with driver interfaces reserved for the legitimate agent process.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local. An attacker must already hold administrator privileges on the Windows endpoint running Prisma Access Agent. From that position, the attacker interacts with the vulnerable network driver interface to disable inspection and manipulate traffic. No verified exploit code or public proof-of-concept is currently available. See the Palo Alto Networks Advisory for technical specifics.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-0292

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected loading or interaction with the Prisma Access Agent network driver by processes other than the signed agent binaries
Prisma Access telemetry showing endpoint traffic that bypasses expected inspection or policy enforcement
Local administrator account activity followed by anomalous outbound network flows from the endpoint

Detection Strategies

Monitor for unauthorized processes opening handles to the Prisma Access Agent driver device object on Windows
Correlate Prisma Access cloud logs with endpoint EDR telemetry to identify traffic gaps where inspection should have occurred
Alert on privileged process creation that immediately precedes changes to network driver state or agent configuration

Monitoring Recommendations

Track use of local administrator accounts on endpoints running Prisma Access Agent and flag deviations from baseline
Ingest Prisma Access Agent and Windows Filtering Platform logs into a centralized SIEM for correlation
Review outbound traffic patterns from managed Windows endpoints for flows that evade expected DNS, TLS, or URL inspection

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-0292

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the fixed version of Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access Agent for Windows as listed in the vendor advisory
Restrict local administrator rights on endpoints running Prisma Access Agent to reduce the pool of accounts that can trigger the bypass
Audit existing local administrators on Prisma Access Windows endpoints and remove unnecessary privileges

Patch Information

Palo Alto Networks has published guidance for this issue in the Palo Alto Networks Advisory for CVE-2026-0292. Administrators should consult the advisory for the specific fixed builds of Prisma Access Agent for Windows and roll them out through their standard endpoint software distribution channels.

Workarounds

Enforce least privilege on Windows endpoints so day-to-day accounts do not hold local administrator rights
Use application control or Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) to limit which binaries can interact with the Prisma Access Agent driver
Increase monitoring of Prisma Access Agent integrity and driver state until the patched version is deployed across the fleet

bash

# Example: enumerate local administrators on a Windows endpoint
net localgroup Administrators

# Example: check installed Prisma Access Agent version via PowerShell
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Palo Alto Networks\Prisma Access Agent" |
  Select-Object -Property DisplayVersion, InstallLocation