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JunosOperating system · Juniper

CVE-2018-0052

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-10-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
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
If RSH service is enabled on Junos OS and if the PAM authentication is disabled, a remote unauthenticated attacker can obtain root access to the device. RSH service is disabled by default on Junos. There is no documented CLI command to enable this service. However, an undocumented CLI command allows a privileged Junos user to enable RSH service and disable PAM, and hence expose the system to unauthenticated root access. When RSH is enabled, the device is listing to RSH connections on port 514. This issue is not exploitable on platforms where Junos release is based on FreeBSD 10+. Affected releases are Juniper Networks Junos OS: 12.1X46 versions prior to 12.1X46-D77 on SRX Series; 12.3 versions prior to 12.3R12-S10; 12.3X48 versions prior to 12.3X48-D75 on SRX Series; 14.1X53 versions prior to 14.1X53-D47 on QFX/EX Series; 15.1 versions prior to 15.1R4-S9, 15.1R6-S6, 15.1R7; 15.1X49 versions prior to 15.1X49-D131, 15.1X49-D140 on SRX Series; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D59 on EX2300/EX3400 Series; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D67 on QFX10K Series; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D233 on QFX5200/QFX5110 Series; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D471, 15.1X53-D490 on NFX Series; 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R3-S9, 16.1R4-S9, 16.1R5-S4, 16.1R6-S4, 16.1R7; 16.2 versions prior to 16.2R2-S5; 17.1 versions prior to 17.1R1-S7, 17.1R2-S7, 17.1R3; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R1-S6, 17.2R2-S4, 17.2R3; 17.2X75 versions prior to 17.2X75-D110, 17.2X75-D91; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R1-S4, 17.3R2-S2, 17.3R3; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R1-S3, 17.4R2; 18.2X75 versions prior to 18.2X75-D5.

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

An undocumented CLI command in Junos OS can enable the RSH service while simultaneously disabling PAM authentication. When RSH is enabled, the device listens on port 514, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to obtain root access. This vulnerability affects multiple Junos versions across SRX, QFX, EX, and NFX series platforms running FreeBSD versions prior to 10.

MitigationVerify that RSH service is not enabled on affected devices (it is disabled by default), avoid using undocumented CLI commands, and upgrade to the patched versions specified in the advisory.

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:= 12.1x46= 12.3= 12.3x48= 14.1x53= 15.1= 15.1x49= 15.1x53= 16.1= 16.2= 17.1= 17.2= 17.2x75

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/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. Check if RSH service is enabled
    Run the command 'show system services' or 'show configuration system services' in the Junos CLI to view enabled services. Look for 'rsh' in the output.
    Affected if RSH service appears in the configuration output (indicating it has been enabled via the undocumented command or otherwise)
  2. Verify Junos software version
    Run 'show version' in the Junos CLI to display the installed Junos version. Compare the version string against the affected list: 12.1x46, 12.3, 12.3x48, 14.1x53, 15.1, 15.1x49, 15.1x53, 16.1, 16.2, 17.1, 17.2, or 17.2x75.
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions listed
  3. Check if port 514 is listening
    Run 'show system connections | match 514' or use 'netstat -an | grep 514' (if shell access is available) to see if the device is listening on port 514 (RSH port).
    Affected if Port 514 shows as LISTEN or the device responds to RSH requests on that port
  4. Confirm platform and FreeBSD version
    Run 'show version' to identify the platform series (SRX, QFX, EX, or NFX). If shell access is available, run 'uname -a' to check the underlying FreeBSD version.
    Affected if Device is an SRX, QFX, EX, or NFX series running FreeBSD versions prior to 10

A device is affected if it runs one of the listed Junos versions on an SRX, QFX, EX, or NFX platform, AND has RSH service enabled (via the undocumented command or otherwise), resulting in port 514 listening.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Verify that RSH service is not enabled on affected devices (it is disabled by default), avoid using undocumented CLI commands, and upgrade to the patched versions specified in the advisory.

Fix this in Junos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2018-0052 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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