dbcve.org
JunosOperating system · Juniper

CVE-2017-10615

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-10-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
A vulnerability in the pluggable authentication module (PAM) of Juniper Networks Junos OS may allow an unauthenticated network based attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code or crash daemons such as telnetd or sshd that make use of PAM. Affected Juniper Networks Junos OS releases are: 14.1 from 14.1R5 prior to 14.1R8-S4, 14.1R9; 14.1X53 prior to 14.1X53-D50 on EX and QFX series; 14.2 from 14.2R3 prior to 14.2R7-S8, 14.2R8; No other Junos OS releases are affected by this issue. No other Juniper Networks products are affected by this issue.

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 confidence

A vulnerability in Junos OS PAM (pluggable authentication module) allows unauthenticated network-based attackers to execute arbitrary code or crash PAM-dependent daemons like telnetd and sshd, achieving critical severity via remote unauthenticated attack surface.

MitigationUpgrade Junos OS to patched versions: 14.1R8-S4 or later, 14.1X53-D50 or later (EX/QFX), 14.2R7-S8 or later. Until patched, restrict network access to management interfaces and PAM-authenticating services.

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
JunosOperating system
Affected:= 14.1= 14.1x53= 14.2

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine Junos OS version
    Run 'show version' or 'show version detail' on the Junos device CLI
    Affected if The displayed version matches exactly 14.1, 14.1x53, or 14.2 (without patches)
  2. Identify PAM-dependent services enabled
    Review system services configuration using 'show configuration system services'
    Affected if telnetd or sshd services are configured and enabled on any interface
  3. Check management interface exposure
    Use 'show configuration interfaces' and 'show configuration system services' to identify which IP addresses or interfaces the telnet and SSH services bind to
    Affected if SSH or telnet services are reachable from untrusted network interfaces (not loopback or dedicated management VLAN)
  4. Verify PAM module status
    Check if the system uses PAM for authentication by reviewing authentication configuration: 'show configuration system login'
    Affected if PAM authentication method is in use (this is default in Junos)
  5. Confirm network accessibility of vulnerable services
    Test connectivity to SSH (port 22) or telnet (port 23) from external network sources using 'telnet <device-ip>' or 'ssh -v <device-ip>'
    Affected if These services are accessible from untrusted networks without ACL filtering

A device is affected if it runs Junos version 14.1, 14.1x53, or 14.2 AND has SSH or telnet services exposed to network attackers, since the vulnerability allows remote code execution via unauthenticated PAM exploitation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Junos OS to patched versions: 14.1R8-S4 or later, 14.1X53-D50 or later (EX/QFX), 14.2R7-S8 or later. Until patched, restrict network access to management interfaces and PAM-authenticating services.

Recommended fix High confidence

14.1R8-S4 or 14.1R9 (14.1 branch); 14.1X53-D50 (14.1X53 branch); 14.2R7-S8 or 14.2R8 (14.2 branch)

  1. Verify the current Junos OS version using 'show version' command
  2. Confirm the device is an EX series switch or QFX series switch if running 14.1X53, or a standard Junos device for 14.1/14.2 releases
  3. Download the appropriate fixed Junos OS release from the Juniper support portal: 14.1R8-S4 or 14.1R9 for 14.1 branch; 14.1X53-D50 for 14.1X53 branch; 14.2R7-S8 or 14.2R8 for 14.2 branch
  4. Transfer the Junos OS upgrade package to the device using SCP or FTP
  5. Perform a system backup and validate the backup is stored safely
  6. Initiate the Junos OS upgrade using 'request system software add <package-name>' command
  7. Reboot the device after upgrade completion using 'request system reboot' command
  8. Verify the new Junos version is installed using 'show version'
Caveat Review Juniper release notes for 14.1X53-D50, 14.2R7-S8, and 14.2R8 for any behavioral changes or deprecated features before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Junos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-10615 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-10615 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data