CVE-2020-1640
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 · uneditedAn improper use of a validation framework when processing incoming genuine BGP packets within Juniper Networks RPD (routing protocols process) daemon allows an attacker to crash RPD thereby causing a Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This framework requires these packets to be passed. By continuously sending any of these types of formatted genuine packets, an attacker can repeatedly crash the RPD process causing a sustained Denial of Service. Authentication to the BGP peer is not required. This issue can be initiated or propagated through eBGP and iBGP and can impact devices in either modes of use as long as the devices are configured to support the compromised framework and a BGP path is activated or active. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS 16.1 versions 16.1R7-S6 and later versions prior to 16.1R7-S8; 17.3 versions 17.3R2-S5, 17.3R3-S6 and later versions prior to 17.3R3-S8; 17.4 versions 17.4R2-S7, 17.4R3 and later versions prior to 17.4R2-S11, 17.4R3-S2; 18.1 versions 18.1R3-S7 and later versions prior to 18.1R3-S10; 18.2 versions 18.2R2-S6, 18.2R3-S2 and later versions prior to 18.2R2-S7, 18.2R3-S5; 18.2X75 versions 18.2X75-D12, 18.2X75-D32, 18.2X75-D33, 18.2X75-D51, 18.2X75-D60, 18.2X75-D411, 18.2X75-D420 and later versions prior to 18.2X75-D32, 18.2X75-D33, 18.2X75-D420, 18.2X75-D52, 18.2X75-D60, 18.2X75-D65, 18.2X75-D70;(*1) 18.3 versions 18.3R1-S6, 18.3R2-S3, 18.3R3 and later versions prior to 18.3R2-S4, 18.3R3-S2; 18.4 versions 18.4R1-S5, 18.4R2-S4, 18.4R3 and later versions prior to 18.4R1-S7, 18.4R2-S5, 18.4R3-S3(*2); 19.1 versions 19.1R1-S3, 19.1R2 and later versions prior to 19.1R1-S5, 19.1R2-S2, 19.1R3-S2; 19.2 versions 19.2R1-S2, 19.2R2 and later versions prior to 19.2R1-S5, 19.2R2, 19.2R3; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S3, 19.3R3; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S2, 19.4R2, 19.4R3; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R1-S1, 20.1R2. This issue does not affect Junos OS prior to 16.1R1. This issue affects IPv4 and IPv6 traffic.
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 validation framework vulnerability in Juniper RPD (routing protocols daemon) allows unauthenticated remote attackers to crash the RPD process by sending specifically formatted genuine BGP packets (IPv4 or IPv6). The flaw requires no authentication and can be exploited repeatedly through eBGP or iBGP paths to cause sustained DoS.
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= 16.1= 17.3= 17.4= 18.1= 18.2= 18.2x75= 18.3= 18.4= 19.1= 19.2= 19.3= 19.4CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Juniper Junos deviceIdentify the device manufacturer and operating system. On the device CLI, run 'show version' or check the system banner. Confirm it is a Juniper device running Junos OS.Affected if Device is NOT running Juniper Junos OS (different vendors or operating systems are not affected).
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Check installed Junos versionRun 'show version' on the Junos CLI and note the exact version string (for example, 18.2R3-S5). Compare this against the affected versions: 16.1, 17.3, 17.4, 18.1, 18.2, 18.2x75, 18.3, 18.4, 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, 19.4 (or any sub-version in these release families).Affected if The installed version matches one of the listed affected version families and is NOT one of the patched versions (16.1R7-S8, 17.3R3-S8, 17.4R2-S11, 18.1R3-S10, 18.2R2-S7, 18.2R3-S5, 18.3R2-S4, 18.3R3-S2, 18.4R1-S7, 18.4R2-S5, 18.4R3-S3, 19.1R1-S5, 19.1R2-S2, 19.1R3-S2, 19.2R1-S5, 19.2R3, 19.3R2-S3,
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Verify BGP is configuredRun 'show configuration protocols bgp' to check if BGP is configured on the device. The vulnerability is exploited by sending BGP packets, so BGP must be enabled.Affected if BGP is configured and active on the device (the flaw cannot be exploited if BGP is not running).
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Check BGP peer statusRun 'show bgp summary' to display configured BGP neighbors/peers and their state. The attack vector uses genuine BGP packets from eBGP or iBGP peers.Affected if There are established or active BGP peer relationships, meaning the device is accepting and processing BGP traffic from other routers.
Device is affected if it is running a vulnerable Junos version (16.1 through 19.4 series) AND has BGP configured with active peer relationships, allowing unauthenticated BGP packets to reach the RPD process.
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 dataApply Juniper software updates (Junos OS 16.1R7-S8, 17.3R3-S8, 17.4R2-S11, 18.1R3-S10, 18.2R2-S7, 18.2R3-S5, 18.3R2-S4, 18.3R3-S2, 18.4R1-S7, 18.4R2-S5, 18.4R3-S3, 19.1R1-S5, 19.1R2-S2, 19.1R3-S2, 19.2R1-S5, 19.2R3, 19.3R2-S3, 19.4R1-S2, 20.1R1-S1 or later) per Juniper's release notes, and schedule maintenance windows for affected production devices.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-1640 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-1640 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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