JunosOperating system · Juniper

CVE-2021-31361

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-19
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
An Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions vulnerability combined with Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions in Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX Series and PTX Series allows an unauthenticated network based attacker to cause increased FPC CPU utilization by sending specific IP packets which are being VXLAN encapsulated leading to a partial Denial of Service (DoS). Continued receipted of these specific traffic will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX Series: All versions prior to 17.3R3-S11; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S13, 17.4R3-S4; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S12; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R2-S8, 18.2R3-S7; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S4; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R1-S8, 18.4R2-S7, 18.4R3-S7; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R1-S6, 19.1R2-S2, 19.1R3-S4; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S6, 19.2R3-S2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R3-S1; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R2-S3, 19.4R3-S1; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R2, 20.1R3; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R2, 20.2R3; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R1-S1, 20.3R2. Juniper Networks Junos OS on PTX Series: All versions prior to 18.4R3-S9; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R3-S6; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S7, 19.2R3-S3; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S6, 19.3R3-S3; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S4, 19.4R3-S5; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R2-S2, 20.1R3; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3-S1; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R2-S1, 20.3R3; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R2-S1, 20.4R3; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R1-S1, 21.1R2.

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

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

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= 17.3r3= 17.3r3-s2= 17.4= 18.1= 18.2= 18.3= 18.4= 19.1= 19.2= 19.3= 19.4

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

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

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.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch kb.juniper.net →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the fixed release for your specific version branch as listed in the Juniper Knowledge Base article JSA11223

  1. 1. Identify the exact Junos OS version currently running on the QFX or PTX device using the command: show version
  2. 2. Determine the product series (QFX Series or PTX Series) and current version branch from the affected versions list
  3. 3. For QFX Series devices: Upgrade to the minimum fixed release for your version branch (e.g., 17.3R3-S11, 17.4R2-S13, 18.1R3-S12, 18.2R2-S8, 18.3R3-S4, 18.4R3-S7, 19.1R3-S4, 19.2R3-S2, 19.3R3-S1, 19.4R3-S1, 20.1R3, 20.2R3, 20.3R2)
  4. 4. For PTX Series devices: Upgrade to the minimum fixed release for your version branch (e.g., 18.4R3-S9, 19.1R3-S6, 19.2R3-S3, 19.3R3-S3, 19.4R3-S5, 20.1R3, 20.2R3-S1, 20.3R3, 20.4R3, 21.1R2)
  5. 5. Download the appropriate Junos software release from the Juniper Networks support portal
  6. 6. Transfer the software package to the device using FTP/SCP
  7. 7. Install the upgrade using: request system software add <package_name>
  8. 8. Reboot the device to apply the changes using: request system reboot
Caveat Standard Junos upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for your target version for any functionality changes or migration warnings

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can apply and verify the patch for your build — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the patch applied

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31361 — 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-2021-31361 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