CVE-2020-2004
CWE-534Published: May 13, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
Under certain circumstances a user's password may be logged in cleartext in the PanGPS.log diagnostic file when logs are collected for troubleshooting on GlobalProtect app (also known as GlobalProtect Agent) for MacOS and Windows. For this issue to occur all of these conditions must be true: (1) 'Save User Credential' option should be set to 'Yes' in the GlobalProtect Portal's Agent configuration, (2) the GlobalProtect user manually selects a gateway, (3) and the logging level is set to 'Dump' while collecting troubleshooting logs. This issue does not affect GlobalProtect app on other platforms (for example iOS/Android/Linux). This issue affects GlobalProtect app 5.0 versions earlier than 5.0.9, GlobalProtect app 5.1 versions earlier than 5.1.2 on Windows or MacOS. Since becoming aware of the issue, Palo Alto Networks has safely deleted all the known GlobalProtectLogs zip files sent by customers with the credentials. We now filter and remove these credentials from all files sent to Customer Support. The GlobalProtectLogs zip files uploaded to Palo Alto Networks systems were only accessible by authorized personnel with valid Palo Alto Networks credentials. We do not have any evidence of malicious access or use of these credentials.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2020-2004 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), with a CVSS base score of 5.5.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (2)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-534)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2020-2004 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts