JunosOperating system · Juniper

CVE-2024-21615

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 21.2 or later.
See remediation →
50/100
Remediation priority · Moderate

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 Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved allows a local, low-privileged attacker to access confidential information on the system. On all Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved platforms, when NETCONF traceoptions are configured, and a super-user performs specific actions via NETCONF, then a low-privileged user can access sensitive information compromising the confidentiality of the system. This issue affects: Junos OS: * all versions before 21.2R3-S7,  * from 21.4 before 21.4R3-S5,  * from 22.1 before 22.1R3-S5,  * from 22.2 before 22.2R3-S3,  * from 22.3 before 22.3R3-S2,  * from 22.4 before 22.4R3,  * from 23.2 before 23.2R1-S2. Junos OS Evolved:  * all versions before 21.2R3-S7-EVO,  * from 21.3 before 21.3R3-S5-EVO,  * from 21.4 before 21.4R3-S5-EVO,  * from 22.1 before 22.1R3-S5-EVO,  * from 22.2 before 22.2R3-S3-EVO,  * from 22.3 before 22.3R3-S2-EVO, * from 22.4 before 22.4R3-EVO,  * from 23.2 before 23.2R1-S2.

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 local low-privileged attacker can read sensitive information from NETCONF traceoption files due to incorrect default file permissions when NETCONF traceoptions are enabled and a super-user performs actions via NETCONF, compromising system confidentiality.

MitigationUpgrade Junos OS/Evolved to the fixed versions (21.2R3-S7, 21.4R3-S5, 22.1R3-S5, 22.2R3-S3, 22.3R3-S2, 22.4R3, 23.2R1-S2 or later). If immediate upgrade is not feasible, consider disabling NETCONF traceoptions until patching can be completed.

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:< 21.2= 21.2= 21.4= 22.1= 22.2= 22.3= 22.4= 23.2
Junos Os EvolvedOperating system
Affected:< 21.2= 21.2= 21.3= 21.4= 22.1= 22.2= 22.3= 22.4= 23.2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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 checks

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

  1. Check Junos version
    Run 'show version' or 'system diagnostics' command to obtain the installed Junos or Junos Evolved version
    Affected if Installed version matches any of the affected ranges: < 21.2, = 21.2, = 21.4, = 22.1, = 22.2, = 22.3, = 22.4, = 23.2 (for Junos); or < 21.2, = 21.2, = 21.3, = 21.4, = 22.1, = 22.2, = 22.3, = 22.4, = 23.2 (for Junos Evolved)
  2. Verify NETCONF traceoptions are enabled
    Check the configuration for 'set system services netconf traceoptions' or look for traceoptions configuration under '[edit system services netconf]' hierarchy using 'show configuration system services netconf'
    Affected if NETCONF traceoptions are configured and active on the device
  3. Locate NETCONF traceoption files
    Identify traceoption file locations - typically under /var/log/ or /var/tmp/ directories with 'netconf' in the filename; use 'file list' or 'ls' commands in those directories
    Affected if NETCONF traceoption files exist on the system
  4. Inspect traceoption file permissions
    Use 'file list detail <filename>' or 'ls -la' on the traceoption files to check owner, group, and world-read permissions
    Affected if Files are readable by non-privileged users (world-readable or owned by a different user than the attacker) or permissions allow group/other read access
  5. Check for sensitive content in traceoption files
    Use 'file show <filename>' or 'cat' on the traceoption files to view their contents for sensitive information such as credentials, session data, or configuration details
    Affected if Files contain sensitive information that should not be accessible to low-privileged users

The environment is affected if the device runs a vulnerable Junos/Junos Evolved version AND NETCONF traceoptions are enabled, allowing low-privileged users to read sensitive traceoption files with improper permissions.

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 21.2 or later
Fixed in 21.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Junos OS/Evolved to the fixed versions (21.2R3-S7, 21.4R3-S5, 22.1R3-S5, 22.2R3-S3, 22.3R3-S2, 22.4R3, 23.2R1-S2 or later). If immediate upgrade is not feasible, consider disabling NETCONF traceoptions until patching can be completed.

Recommended fix High confidence

Junos OS: 21.2R3-S7, 21.4R3-S5, 22.1R3-S5, 22.2R3-S3, 22.3R3-S2, 22.4R3, or 23.2R1-S2 and later; Junos OS Evolved: 21.2R3-S7-EVO, 21.3R3-S5-EVO, 21.4R3-S5-EVO, 22.1R3-S5-EVO, 22.2R3-S3-EVO, 22.3R3-S2-EVO, 22.4R3-EVO, or 23.2R1-S2 and later

  1. 1. Identify the current Junos OS or Junos OS Evolved version using 'show version' command
  2. 2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on current version (21.2 branch, 21.4 branch, 22.1 branch, etc.)
  3. 3. For Junos OS: upgrade to 21.2R3-S7, 21.4R3-S5, 22.1R3-S5, 22.2R3-S3, 22.3R3-S2, 22.4R3, or 23.2R1-S2 or later
  4. 4. For Junos OS Evolved: upgrade to 21.2R3-S7-EVO, 21.3R3-S5-EVO, 21.4R3-S5-EVO, 22.1R3-S5-EVO, 22.2R3-S3-EVO, 22.3R3-S2-EVO, 22.4R3-EVO, or 23.2R1-S2 or later
  5. 5. Download the appropriate upgrade package from the Juniper support portal
  6. 6. Perform the upgrade following standard Junos upgrade procedures
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed using 'show version'
  8. 8. If NETCONF traceoptions are not needed, consider disabling them to reduce attack surface
Caveat Standard Junos upgrade risks apply - review release notes for any configuration changes or deprecations before upgrading

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

Fix this in Junos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-21615 — 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-2024-21615 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