JunosOperating system · Juniper

CVE-2019-0069

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-10-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
On EX4600, QFX5100 Series, NFX Series, QFX10K Series, QFX5110, QFX5200 Series, QFX5110, QFX5200, QFX10K Series, vSRX, SRX1500, SRX4000 Series, vSRX, SRX1500, SRX4000, QFX5110, QFX5200, QFX10K Series, when the user uses console management port to authenticate, the credentials used during device authentication are written to a log file in clear text. This issue does not affect users that are logging-in using telnet, SSH or J-web to the management IP. This issue affects ACX, NFX, SRX, EX and QFX platforms with the Linux Host OS architecture, it does not affect other SRX and EX platforms that do not use the Linux Host OS architecture. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: 15.1X49 versions prior to 15.1X49-D110 on vSRX, SRX1500, SRX4000 Series; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D234 on QFX5110, QFX5200 Series; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D68 on QFX10K Series; 17.1 versions prior to 17.1R2-S8, 17.1R3, on QFX5110, QFX5200, QFX10K Series; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R1-S7, 17.2R2-S6, 17.2R3 on QFX5110, QFX5200, QFX10K Series; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R2 on vSRX, SRX1500, SRX4000, QFX5110, QFX5200, QFX10K Series; 14.1X53 versions prior to 14.1X53-D47 on ACX5000, EX4600, QFX5100 Series; 15.1 versions prior to 15.1R7 on ACX5000, EX4600, QFX5100 Series; 16.1R7 versions prior to 16.1R7 on ACX5000, EX4600, QFX5100 Series; 17.1 versions prior to 17.1R2-S10, 17.1R3 on ACX5000, EX4600, QFX5100 Series; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R3 on ACX5000, EX4600, QFX5100 Series; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3 on ACX5000, EX4600, QFX5100 Series; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2 on ACX5000, EX4600, QFX5100 Series; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R2 on ACX5000, EX4600, QFX5100 Series; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D496 on NFX Series, 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R3-S1 on NFX Series; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S4 on NFX Series; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S4, 17.4R3 on NFX Series, 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S4 on NFX Series; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R2-S3, 18.2R3 on NFX Series; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R1-S3, 18.3R2 on NFX Series; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R1-S1, 18.4R2 on NFX Series.

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

When users authenticate via the console management port on affected Juniper devices (EX4600, QFX5100, NFX, QFX10K, vSRX, SRX1500, SRX4000, ACX5000), the cleartext credentials are written to a log file. This only occurs during console port authentication and does not affect SSH, telnet, or J-web logins. The vulnerability exists only on platforms using the Linux Host OS architecture.

MitigationUpgrade Junos OS to one of the specified fixed versions (e.g., 15.1X49-D110, 15.1X53-D234, 17.1R2-S10, 17.4R2, 18.4R2) depending on the platform. Alternatively, restrict physical access to console ports and ensure log files are protected via access controls.

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:= 15.1x49= 15.1x53= 17.1= 17.2= 17.3= 14.1x53= 15.1= 16.1= 17.4= 18.1= 18.2= 18.3

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Identify device model
    Run 'show chassis hardware' or check product model to confirm it is one of: EX4600, QFX5100, NFX, QFX10K, vSRX, SRX1500, SRX4000, or ACX5000
    Affected if Device model is NOT in the listed affected platform list - then not vulnerable
  2. Confirm Linux Host OS architecture
    Run 'show system virtual-chassis' or check platform documentation to verify the device uses the Linux Host OS architecture (as opposed to other Junos architectures)
    Affected if Device does NOT use Linux Host OS architecture - then not vulnerable
  3. Check Junos version
    Run 'show version' to obtain the installed Junos version
    Affected if Version IS in the affected list: 15.1X49, 15.1X53, 17.1, 17.2, 17.3, 14.1X53, 15.1, 16.1, 17.4, 18.1, 18.2, or 18.3 - then potentially vulnerable
  4. Verify console logging is active
    Run 'show system log' or check /var/log directory for console-related log files; confirm authentication logging is enabled via 'show system authentication-log'
    Affected if Console port authentication logging IS enabled and device meets the above platform/version conditions - then likely vulnerable
  5. Inspect logs for cleartext credentials
    Search console auth logs in /var/log/ for strings matching username/password pairs or plaintext credentials entered during login attempts
    Affected if Cleartext credentials ARE found in console logs - then definitively affected by this CVE

Device is affected if it is one of the listed platforms (EX4600, QFX5100, NFX, QFX10K, vSRX, SRX1500, SRX4000, ACX5000) using Linux Host OS, running an affected Junos version, and console port authentication logging is enabled with cleartext credentials present in logs.

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

Upgrade Junos OS to one of the specified fixed versions (e.g., 15.1X49-D110, 15.1X53-D234, 17.1R2-S10, 17.4R2, 18.4R2) depending on the platform. Alternatively, restrict physical access to console ports and ensure log files are protected via access controls.

Fix this in Junos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-0069 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-0069 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