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JunosOperating system · Juniper

CVE-2021-0288

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-07-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
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
A vulnerability in the processing of specific MPLS packets in Juniper Networks Junos OS on MX Series and EX9200 Series devices with Trio-based MPCs (Modular Port Concentrators) may cause FPC to crash and lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) condition. Continued receipt of this packet will sustain the Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue only affects MX Series and EX9200 Series with Trio-based PFEs (Packet Forwarding Engines). This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS on MX Series, EX9200 Series: 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S12; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S13, 17.4R3-S5; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S13; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3-S8; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S5; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S8, 18.4R3-S8; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R3-S5; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R3-S2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S6, 19.3R3-S3; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S4, 19.4R2-S4, 19.4R3-S2; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R3; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R2-S2, 20.2R3; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R2; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R2;

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

A vulnerability in the processing of specific MPLS packets in Juniper Networks Junos OS on MX Series and EX9200 Series devices with Trio-based MPCs causes FPC (Forwarding Processor Card) crashes, leading to sustained DoS conditions. The issue is triggered by malformed or specifically crafted MPLS packets processed by Trio-based Packet Forwarding Engines.

MitigationUpgrade Junos OS to the fixed versions specified in the Juniper advisory (e.g., 17.3R3-S12, 18.4R2-S8, 20.4R2 or later). Until patched, consider filtering or rate-limiting untrusted MPLS traffic at network edges.

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:= 17.3= 17.4= 18.1= 18.2= 18.3= 18.4= 19.1= 19.2= 19.3= 19.4= 20.1= 20.2

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify your device model
    Run 'show chassis hardware' or 'show system information' to confirm the device is an MX Series router or EX9200 switch
    Affected if Device is not MX Series or EX9200, then not affected by this specific vulnerability
  2. Verify Trio-based MPCs are installed
    Run 'show chassis fpc' or 'show chassis hardware detail' to list installed MPCs; Trio-based MPCs typically include models like MPC, MPC3E, MPC5E, MPC6E, MPC7E, MPC8E, MPC9E
    Affected if No Trio-based MPCs are present, then not vulnerable to this specific issue
  3. Check installed Junos OS version
    Run 'show version' or 'show system information' and compare the firmware version against the affected list: 17.3, 17.4, 18.1, 18.2, 18.3, 18.4, 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, 19.4, 20.1, 20.2
    Affected if Version matches one of the affected releases listed in the CVE, proceed to next check
  4. Confirm MPLS is enabled on the device
    Run 'show configuration protocols mpls' or 'show configuration interfaces' with MPLS protocol configurations; also check 'show mpls interface' to see active MPLS-enabled interfaces
    Affected if MPLS is not configured or enabled on any interface, the vulnerability trigger condition is not present

The environment is affected if it is an MX Series or EX9200 device with Trio-based MPCs, running an affected Junos version (17.3-20.2), and MPLS traffic is being processed.

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 fixed versions specified in the Juniper advisory (e.g., 17.3R3-S12, 18.4R2-S8, 20.4R2 or later). Until patched, consider filtering or rate-limiting untrusted MPLS traffic at network edges.

Fix this in Junos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
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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-2021-0288 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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