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JunosOperating system · Juniper

CVE-2020-1618

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
On Juniper Networks EX and QFX Series, an authentication bypass vulnerability may allow a user connected to the console port to login as root without any password. This issue might only occur in certain scenarios: • At the first reboot after performing device factory reset using the command “request system zeroize”; or • A temporary moment during the first reboot after the software upgrade when the device configured in Virtual Chassis mode. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS on EX and QFX Series: 14.1X53 versions prior to 14.1X53-D53; 15.1 versions prior to 15.1R7-S4; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D593; 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R7-S4; 17.1 versions prior to 17.1R2-S11, 17.1R3-S1; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R3-S3; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R2-S5, 17.3R3-S6; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S9, 17.4R3; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S8; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R2; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R1-S7, 18.3R2. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS 12.3.

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

On Juniper Networks EX and QFX Series devices, an authentication bypass vulnerability allows unauthenticated root login via the console port during specific reboot scenarios: either the first reboot after a factory reset using 'request system zeroize' or the first reboot after a software upgrade on devices configured in Virtual Chassis mode.

MitigationUpgrade Junos OS to the specified patched versions (14.1X53-D53, 15.1R7-S4, 15.1X53-D593, 16.1R7-S4, 17.1R2-S11/17.1R3-S1, 17.2R3-S3, 17.3R2-S5/17.3R3-S6, 17.4R2-S9/17.4R3, 18.1R3-S8, 18.2R2, 18.3R1-S7/18.3R2) and ensure console access is restricted to authorized personnel during vulnerable reboot windows.

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:= 14.1x53= 15.1= 15.1x53= 16.1= 17.1= 17.2= 17.3= 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
Physical
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/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. Identify device model and platform
    Run 'show chassis hardware' or 'show version' to confirm the device is an EX or QFX Series switch
    Affected if Device is not an EX or QFX Series switch - the vulnerability only affects these platforms
  2. Check installed Junos version
    Run 'show version' to retrieve the Junos OS version number
    Affected if Version matches any of these affected releases: 14.1x53, 15.1, 15.1x53, 16.1, 17.1, 17.2, 17.3, 17.4, 18.1, 18.2, or 18.3 (base releases without the fixed sub-versions)
  3. Determine if device was zeroized
    Check system logs for 'request system zeroize' command execution and verify this is the first reboot since the zeroize operation
    Affected if Device was recently zeroized and has not yet completed its first reboot - the vulnerability window is open during this specific reboot
  4. Check Virtual Chassis configuration
    Run 'show virtual-chassis' to determine if the device is configured in Virtual Chassis mode
    Affected if Device is in Virtual Chassis mode AND has undergone a software upgrade - the vulnerability applies to the first reboot after such an upgrade
  5. Verify console access exposure
    Inspect physical console port access controls and recent console login attempts via 'show system users' or log analysis
    Affected if Console port is accessible to unauthorized personnel during a vulnerable reboot window (post-zeroize first boot or post-upgrade first boot in Virtual Chassis mode)

A user is affected if they have an EX or QFX device running an affected Junos base version and the device is in either its first reboot after a 'request system zeroize' operation or its first reboot after a software upgrade in Virtual Chassis configuration.

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 the specified patched versions (14.1X53-D53, 15.1R7-S4, 15.1X53-D593, 16.1R7-S4, 17.1R2-S11/17.1R3-S1, 17.2R3-S3, 17.3R2-S5/17.3R3-S6, 17.4R2-S9/17.4R3, 18.1R3-S8, 18.2R2, 18.3R1-S7/18.3R2) and ensure console access is restricted to authorized personnel during vulnerable reboot windows.

Fix this in Junos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2020-1618 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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