CVE-2020-1616
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 · uneditedDue to insufficient server-side login attempt limit enforcement, a vulnerability in the SSH login service of Juniper Networks Juniper Advanced Threat Prevention (JATP) Series and Virtual JATP (vJATP) devices allows an unauthenticated, remote attacker to perform multiple login attempts in excess of the configured login attempt limit. Successful exploitation will allow the attacker to perform brute-force password attacks on the SSH service. This issue affects: Juniper Networks JATP and vJATP versions prior to 5.0.6.0.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in the SSH login service of Juniper JATP and vJATP devices allows unauthenticated remote attackers to bypass server-side login attempt limits due to insufficient enforcement. This enables repeated login attempts beyond the configured threshold, facilitating brute-force password attacks. The issue affects versions prior to 5.0.6.0.
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< 5.0.6.0< 5.0.6.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine JATP/vJATP software versionAccess the device CLI or web interface and run 'show version' or check the system information page to retrieve the installed software version numberAffected if The version is below 5.0.6.0
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Verify SSH service is enabledCheck device configuration for SSH service settings using 'show services ssh' or review the management interface settings to confirm SSH is enabledAffected if SSH is enabled and accessible on the device
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Confirm login attempt limits are not being enforcedReview SSH service configuration for login attempt rate limiting parameters using 'show configuration | match ssh' or similar command to inspect the login-attempt settingsAffected if Login attempt limits are missing, set to excessive values, or not being actively enforced
A user is affected if their Juniper JATP/vJATP version is below 5.0.6.0, SSH is enabled, and login attempt limits are not properly enforced.
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 data5.0.6.0
Upgrade to Juniper JATP/vJATP version 5.0.6.0 or later which enforces proper login attempt limits. Consider supplementary network-level rate limiting on SSH access as a compensating control.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-1616 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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