Detect Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Out-of-bounds Write (CVE-2026-0300) in IBM QRadar
Detects exploitation attempts targeting CVE-2026-0300, an out-of-bounds write vulnerability (CWE-787) in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS. This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild (CISA KEV) and may allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, crash the device, or escalate privileges on affected PAN-OS appliances. Detection focuses on anomalous management plane activity, unexpected process crashes, memory corruption indicators, and suspicious inbound traffic patterns targeting PAN-OS management interfaces.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Initial Access Execution Impact
QRadar Detection Query
SELECT
DATEFORMAT(starttime, 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss') AS event_time,
sourceip,
destinationip,
destinationport,
devicetype,
category,
"UTF8"(payload) AS raw_payload,
QIDNAME(qid) AS event_name,
logsourcename(logsourceid) AS log_source
FROM events
WHERE
LOGSOURCETYPENAME(devicetype) ILIKE '%Palo Alto%'
AND (
category ILIKE '%vulnerability%'
OR category ILIKE '%threat%'
OR LOWER("UTF8"(payload)) LIKE '%out-of-bounds%'
OR LOWER("UTF8"(payload)) LIKE '%memory corruption%'
OR LOWER("UTF8"(payload)) LIKE '%segfault%'
OR LOWER("UTF8"(payload)) LIKE '%core dump%'
OR LOWER("UTF8"(payload)) LIKE '%cve-2026-0300%'
OR (destinationport IN (443, 4443, 8443) AND eventcount > 100)
)
AND starttime > NOW() - 86400000
ORDER BY starttime DESC
LIMIT 1000QRadar AQL query for CVE-2026-0300 targeting Palo Alto Networks log sources. Surfaces vulnerability and threat category events alongside payload indicators of memory corruption, and flags high-volume inbound traffic to PAN-OS management ports.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- QRadar offense tuning not applied — raw AQL may return high event volumes from active firewalls
- Authorized red team or vulnerability scanner traffic targeting management interfaces
- PAN-OS HA (high availability) failover events that generate process restart messages matching payload patterns
- Content updates or dynamic updates generating threat category events unrelated to active exploitation
Other platforms for CVE-2026-0300
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 3 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Simulate malformed HTTPS payload to PAN-OS management interface
Expected signal: PAN-OS threat logs should record an anomalous inbound connection; syslog may show a connection handling error or rate limit trigger on the management interface.
- Test 2Trigger PAN-OS management daemon crash simulation via process kill
Expected signal: PAN-OS system logs will record a process crash event for sslmgrd with signal 11 (SIGSEGV); watchdog restart will generate a subsequent SYSTEM log entry. Syslog forwarding will push these to the SIEM.
- Test 3Enumerate PAN-OS management interface exposure and version fingerprinting
Expected signal: PAN-OS management logs will record the inbound HTTPS requests from the test source IP. If threat prevention is enabled, reconnaissance-pattern requests may trigger a threat log entry.
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for CVE-2026-0300 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.