CVE-2026-0265: high-severity vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS

An authentication bypass vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS® software enables an unauthenticated attacker with network access to bypass authentication controls when Cloud Authentication Service (CAS) is enabled. The risk is higher if CAS is enabled on the management interface and lower when any other login interfaces are used. The risk of this issue is greatly reduced if you secure access to the management web interface by restricting access to only trusted internal IP addresses according to our recommended best practice deployment guidelines https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/community-blogs/tips-amp-tricks-how-to-secure-the-management-access-of-your-palo/ba-p/464431 . This issue is applicable to PAN-OS software on PA-Series and VM-Series firewalls and on Panorama (virtual and M-Series). Cloud NGFW and Prisma Access® are not impacted by this vulnerability.