CVE-2021-31361
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 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 analysisA 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= 17.3= 17.3r3= 17.3r3-s2= 17.4= 18.1= 18.2= 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
- 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 · scopedUpgrade to the fixed release for your specific version branch as listed in the Juniper Knowledge Base article JSA11223
- 1. Identify the exact Junos OS version currently running on the QFX or PTX device using the command: show version
- 2. Determine the product series (QFX Series or PTX Series) and current version branch from the affected versions list
- 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. 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. Download the appropriate Junos software release from the Juniper Networks support portal
- 6. Transfer the software package to the device using FTP/SCP
- 7. Install the upgrade using: request system software add <package_name>
- 8. Reboot the device to apply the changes using: request system reboot
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
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Free · runs locallyCheck 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-31361 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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