dbcve.org
JunosOperating system · Juniper

CVE-2023-28963

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 19.4 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
An Improper Authentication vulnerability in cert-mgmt.php, used by the J-Web component of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to read arbitrary files from temporary folders on the device. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: All versions prior to 19.1R3-S10; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R3-S7; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R3-S8; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R3-S11; 20.1 version 20.1R1 and later versions; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3-S7; 20.3 version 20.3R1 and later versions; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R3-S6; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S5; 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S4; 21.3 versions prior to 21.3R3-S3; 21.4 versions prior to 21.4R3-S3; 22.1 versions prior to 22.1R3-S1; 22.2 versions prior to 22.2R2-S1, 22.2R3; 22.3 versions prior to 22.3R1-S2, 22.3R2.

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

Improper Authentication vulnerability in cert-mgmt.php of the J-Web component allows unauthenticated network-based attackers to read arbitrary files from temporary folders on affected Juniper Networks Junos OS devices.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied Junos OS patches for all affected versions. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to the J-Web management interface using firewall rules or access lists.

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:< 19.4= 19.4= 20.1= 20.2= 20.3= 20.4= 21.1= 21.2= 21.3= 21.4= 22.1= 22.2

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

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

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 the installed Junos OS version
    Execute `show version` or `show version detail` on the device CLI and locate the "Junos OS" version string (e.g., 21.2R3).
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: versions prior to 19.4, or exactly 19.4, 20.1, 20.2, 20.3, 20.4, 21.1, 21.2, 21.3, 21.4, 22.1, or 22.2.
  2. Verify if J-Web management interface is enabled
    Run `show system services web-management` to check if J-Web HTTP or HTTPS service is configured and active.
    Affected if J-Web HTTP or HTTPS service is listed as enabled and the service is listening on any interface.
  3. Check J-Web configuration for exposure
    Run `show configuration system services web-management` to review the J-Web service binding and allowed access settings.
    Affected if J-Web is bound to any interface (especially WAN/untrusted) rather than localhost only, or is accessible from untrusted network zones.
  4. Confirm the vulnerable cert-mgmt.php endpoint exists
    Attempt a GET request to `/php/cert-mgmt.php` on the J-Web interface (e.g., `curl -k https://<device-ip>/php/cert-mgmt.php`). A 200 response or any non-404 response indicates the endpoint is present.
    Affected if The cert-mgmt.php endpoint responds without requiring authentication, indicating the vulnerability is present.

A device is affected if it runs a Junos OS version in the listed range AND has J-Web enabled with the cert-mgmt.php endpoint accessible without authentication.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 19.4 or later
Fixed in 19.4
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied Junos OS patches for all affected versions. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to the J-Web management interface using firewall rules or access lists.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the latest patched release in the current branch (e.g., 19.4R3-S11 for 19.4 branch, 20.2R3-S7 for 20.2 branch) or the next stable branch with available patches

  1. 1. Identify the current Junos OS version running on the device using 'show version' command
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on the current version and branch (19.1, 19.2, 19.3, 19.4, 20.1, 20.2, 20.3, 20.4, 21.1, 21.2, 21.3, 21.4, 22.1, 22.2, or 22.3)
  3. 3. Download the corresponding patched version from Juniper Networks support portal: 19.1R3-S10, 19.2R3-S7, 19.3R3-S8, 19.4R3-S11, 20.2R3-S7, 20.4R3-S6, 21.1R3-S5, 21.2R3-S4, 21.3R3-S3, 21.4R3-S3, 22.1R3-S1, 22.2R2-S1 or 22.2R3, or 22.3R1-S2 or 22.3R2
  4. 4. Upload the Junos upgrade package to the device via SCP or USB
  5. 5. Validate the package integrity using 'request system software validate <package>'
  6. 6. Perform the upgrade using 'request system software add <package>' with appropriate options (e.g., no-validate, reboot)
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed using 'show version' and confirm the J-Web component is functioning properly
Caveat Review Juniper Networks release notes for any changes to J-Web or certificate management functionality; test in non-production environment before deploying

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

Fix this in Junos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,770
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,832.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28963 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-28963 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