CVE-2026-0294 is a local privilege escalation in the Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access Agent on Windows and macOS. The record scores it 7.8 high (CVSS 3.1); the vendor rates it medium. The fix is Prisma Access Agent 26.3 or later.
What's affected
Per the vendor advisory, Prisma Access Agent on Windows and macOS is affected for versions 24.0 through 26.2.2, and 26.3 or later is unaffected. The agent on Linux, iOS, Android and ChromeOS is not affected. The advisory says no special configuration is needed to be exposed.
The record and the vendor disagree on severity, so here are both.
- Record (NVD data): CVSS 3.1 base score 7.8, high, vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
- Vendor advisory: severity medium, suggested urgency moderate. It gives CVSS 4.0 scores of 8.5 base (CVSS-B) and 6.0 with threat metrics (CVSS-BT), and lists exploit maturity as unreported.
The difference comes from the scoring system and from the threat metric. The vendor's lower figure takes into account that no exploitation has been reported. The advisory says Palo Alto Networks is not aware of any malicious exploitation. The CVE is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and the record flags it as not known exploited.
The vendor also lists a publication date of 12 August 2026, while the record shows 13 August 2026. We use the record's date in this post's metadata.
Fixed versions: 26.3 on Windows and macOS. The advisory listed an estimated availability of 08/20 for the 26.3 builds when it was published, so confirm in the Palo Alto Networks download portal that your platform build is available.
How to check if you're exposed
Open the Prisma Access Agent on the endpoint and read its version in the About or settings page. On a managed fleet, use your endpoint management tool to list the installed version of the agent across Windows and macOS devices.
Anything from 24.0 through 26.2.2 on those two platforms is in scope. Linux and mobile installs need no action according to the advisory.
What to do now
- List every Windows and macOS device that has Prisma Access Agent and its version.
- Upgrade agents to 26.3 or later through your normal deployment channel.
- The advisory states that no workarounds exist, so there is no configuration change to hold you over. Prioritise devices shared by several users or used by contractors.
- Remove local administrator rights from users who do not need them, which limits what a local escalation is worth.
- Review endpoint detection alerts for unexpected child processes of the agent's services.
Why it matters
The weakness is CWE-427, uncontrolled search path element. A program that looks for a file or library in a location a lower privileged user can write to may load something the user placed there, and run it with the program's higher privileges. The impact is local: an attacker already on the machine with a normal account can become privileged.
That keeps the urgency moderate, as the vendor says, but a local escalation is often the second step after a phishing foothold. Agents run on every laptop, so the fleet wide fix matters more than any single device.
Quick check
Is this High or Medium?
Both appear in sources. The record scores it 7.8 high under CVSS 3.1. The vendor advisory rates it medium, with a CVSS 4.0 threat score of 6.0. Patch on the vendor timeline either way.
Is there a workaround?
The vendor advisory says no known workarounds exist. Upgrade to 26.3 or later.
Sources
- Palo Alto Networks advisory for CVE-2026-0294
- Gold vulnerability page
- Free in-browser dependency scan
Last reviewed: 18 October 2026.
