CVE-2016-1278
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedJuniper Junos OS before 12.1X46-D50 on SRX Series devices reverts to "safe mode" authentication and allows root CLI logins without a password after a failed upgrade to 12.1X46, which might allow local users to gain privileges by leveraging use of the "request system software" command with the "partition" option.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceOn Juniper SRX Series devices running Junos OS versions before 12.1X46-D50, a failed software upgrade initiated via the 'request system software' command with the 'partition' option causes the system to revert to 'safe mode' authentication. This safe mode permits root CLI login without any password, enabling local users to gain full administrative privileges.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 12.1x46CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Juniper SRX device modelExecute 'show chassis hardware' or 'show system information' to identify the device modelAffected if Device is a Juniper SRX Series gateway
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Check installed Junos OS versionExecute 'show version' to display the running Junos OS version numberAffected if Version is 12.1X46-D50 or earlier, or any version below 12.1X46-D50
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Inspect system logs for failed partition upgradesReview log files using 'show log messages' and search for entries containing 'software' and 'partition' and 'failed' or 'error'Affected if Log entries indicate a failed 'request system software' command with the 'partition' option
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Check for safe mode authentication statusExecute 'show system safe-mode status' if available, or inspect the system configuration for authentication settings using 'show configuration system'Affected if Safe mode is active or root login is permitted without password authentication
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Review system alarms for upgrade-related failuresExecute 'show system alarms' to identify any active alarms related to software upgrades or system mode changesAffected if Active alarms indicate failed software operations or unexpected system state changes
A user is affected if they are running Junos OS version 12.1X46-D50 or earlier on an SRX device AND have experienced a failed software upgrade using the partition option, which may have triggered safe mode allowing passwordless root access.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply Junos OS version 12.1X46-D50 or later. Until patched, ensure physical and console access is restricted and monitor for unauthorized access following any failed upgrade attempts using the partition option.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,160.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1278 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-1278 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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