CVE-2023-44201
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 Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource vulnerability in a specific file of Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved allows a local authenticated attacker to read configuration changes without having the permissions. When a user with the respective permissions commits a configuration change, a specific file is created. That file is readable even by users with no permissions to access the configuration. This can lead to privilege escalation as the user can read the password hash when a password change is being committed. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS * All versions prior to 20.4R3-S4; * 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S4; * 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S2; * 21.3 versions prior to 21.3R2-S2, 21.3R3-S1; * 21.4 versions prior to 21.4R2-S1, 21.4R3. Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved * All versions prior to 20.4R3-S4-EVO; * 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S2-EVO; * 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S2-EVO; * 21.3 versions prior to 21.3R3-S1-EVO; * 21.4 versions prior to 21.4R2-S2-EVO.
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 confidenceA file permission vulnerability in Juniper Junos OS allows local authenticated users to read configuration change files without proper authorization. When a privileged user commits configuration changes, a file is created with overly permissive access controls, exposing sensitive data including password hashes during password modification operations.
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< 20.4= 20.4= 21.1= 21.2= 21.3= 21.4< 20.4= 20.4= 21.1= 21.2= 21.3= 21.4CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Junos OS versionRun `show version` or `request system version` on the device CLIAffected if The version displayed is < 20.4, = 20.4, = 21.1, = 21.2, = 21.3, or = 21.4 (for Junos or Junos OS Evolved)
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Identify commit-related temporary filesCheck /var/tmp directory for recently modified files related to configuration commits, such as files matching patterns like *.conf, *.junos, or rollback filesAffected if Files exist in /var/tmp that were created during commit operations and are readable by non-privileged users
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Verify file permissions on configuration filesUse `ls -la` or `file list detail /var/tmp` to examine permissions on configuration change files. Look for files with 644 or world-readable permissions instead of 600Affected if Configuration files or password change artifacts have permissions allowing read access by users other than root or the owner
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Check for password hash exposureExamine the content of commit-related temporary files in /var/tmp for plaintext password hashes or encrypted password strings that should not be accessibleAffected if Sensitive data including password hashes from password modification operations is readable in temporary files
A user is affected if they are running a vulnerable Junos or Junos OS Evolved version AND configuration commit files in /var/tmp are readable by authenticated non-privileged users due to overly permissive file permissions.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped20.4
Apply vendor-supplied patches for affected Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved versions to remediate the incorrect file permission assignment.
For Junos OS: upgrade to 20.4R3-S4, 21.1R3-S4, 21.2R3-S2, 21.3R2-S2/21.3R3-S1, or 21.4R2-S1/21.4R3 and later. For Junos OS Evolved: upgrade to 20.4R3-S4-EVO, 21.1R3-S2-EVO, 21.2R3-S2-EVO, 21.3R3-S1-EVO, or 21.4R2-S2-EVO and later.
- 1. Identify the current Junos OS or Junos OS Evolved version running on the device using 'show version'
- 2. Download the appropriate fixed version from the Juniper support portal (supprtportal.juniper.net)
- 3. Back up the current configuration using 'request system configuration save' or 'save config.txt'
- 4. Transfer the upgrade package to the device using FTP, SCP, or USB
- 5. For Junos OS: Install the upgrade using 'request system software add <package_name> reboot'
- 6. For Junos OS Evolved: Install using 'request system software add <package_name>' followed by 'request system reboot'
- 7. After reboot, verify the new version using 'show version' and confirm the fix is applied
- 8. Verify that configuration files now have correct permissions by testing that unprivileged users cannot read commit change files
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-44201 — 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-2023-44201 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
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