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JunosOperating system · Juniper

CVE-2022-22159

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-19
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 NETISR network queue functionality of Juniper Networks Junos OS kernel allows an attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by sending crafted genuine packets to a device. During an attack, the routing protocol daemon (rpd) CPU may reach 100% utilization, yet FPC CPUs forwarding traffic will operate normally. This attack occurs when the attackers' packets are sent over an IPv4 unicast routing equal-cost multi-path (ECMP) unilist selection. Continued receipt and processing of these packets will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. An indicator of compromise may be to monitor NETISR drops in the network with the assistance of JTAC. Please contact JTAC for technical support for further guidance. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS 17.3 version 17.3R3-S9 and later versions prior to 17.3R3-S12; 17.4 version 17.4R3-S3 and later versions prior to 17.4R3-S5; 18.1 version 18.1R3-S11 and later versions prior to 18.1R3-S13; 18.2 version 18.2R3-S6 and later versions; 18.3 version 18.3R3-S4 and later versions prior to 18.3R3-S5; 18.4 version 18.4R3-S5 and later versions prior to 18.4R3-S9; 19.1 version 19.1R3-S3 and later versions prior to 19.1R3-S7. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 17.3R3-S9. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved.

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 kernel-level vulnerability exists in the NETISR network queue functionality of Juniper Networks Junos OS. Attackers can cause a Denial of Service by sending specially crafted IPv4 unicast packets over an ECMP unilist selection path, causing the routing protocol daemon (rpd) to reach 100% CPU utilization while FPC forwarding continues normally. This network-based attack requires no authentication and creates a sustained DoS condition.

MitigationApply the appropriate Juniper software update (17.3R3-S12, 17.4R3-S5, 18.1R3-S13, 18.2R3-S7, 18.3R3-S5, 18.4R3-S9, or 19.1R3-S7 or later) to address this vulnerability; monitor NETISR queue drops as an indicator of compromise and contact JTAC for technical support if needed.

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

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check Junos OS version
    Run 'show version' on the device CLI to retrieve the installed Junos version
    Affected if The installed version is 17.3, 17.4, 18.1, 18.2, 18.3, 18.4, or 19.1 (any build within these release lines)
  2. Verify ECMP configuration exists
    Run 'show configuration protocols bgp' or 'show configuration routing-options' to check for ECMP (Equal-Cost Multipath) configuration with multiple next-hops (unilist)
    Affected if ECMP is configured with multiple equal-cost next-hops creating an unilist selection path
  3. Monitor rpd CPU utilization
    Run 'show system processes routing' or 'show system processes extensive' to check the routing protocol daemon (rpd) CPU usage
    Affected if rpd process shows sustained 100% CPU utilization while FPC forwarding continues normally
  4. Check NETISR queue statistics
    Run 'show interfaces queue' or check kernel NETISR queue drops via 'show system statistics netisr'
    Affected if NETISR queue shows drops or backlog while IPv4 unicast traffic is being processed over ECMP paths

A device is affected if it runs a vulnerable Junos version (17.3 through 19.1), has ECMP with multiple next-hops configured, and exhibits rpd at 100% CPU with normal FPC forwarding while NETISR queue accumulates drops under IPv4 unicast traffic load.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the appropriate Juniper software update (17.3R3-S12, 17.4R3-S5, 18.1R3-S13, 18.2R3-S7, 18.3R3-S5, 18.4R3-S9, or 19.1R3-S7 or later) to address this vulnerability; monitor NETISR queue drops as an indicator of compromise and contact JTAC for technical support if needed.

Recommended fix High confidence

For 17.3 branch: upgrade to 17.3R3-S12 or later; For 17.4 branch: upgrade to 17.4R3-S5 or later; For 18.1 branch: upgrade to 18.1R3-S13 or later; For 18.2 branch: upgrade to 18.2R3-S7 or later; For 18.3 branch: upgrade to 18.3R3-S5 or later; For 18.4 branch: upgrade to 18.4R3-S9 or later; For 19.1 b

  1. Identify the current Junos OS version running on the device using 'show version' command
  2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on the current version branch (17.3, 17.4, 18.1, 18.2, 18.3, 18.4, or 19.1)
  3. Download the fixed maintenance release for the respective branch from the Juniper Networks support portal
  4. Upload the Junos OS upgrade package to the device using 'file copy' or similar method
  5. Perform a software installation using 'request system software add <package-name> reboot' command
  6. After reboot, verify the new version is running with 'show version' and confirm the fix is applied
Caveat Standard Junos upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for any potential configuration incompatibilities and plan for appropriate maintenance window

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

Fix this in Junos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2022-22159 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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