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Junos Os EvolvedOperating system · Juniper

CVE-2024-39523

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 20.4 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 Neutralization of Special Elements vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved commands allows a local, authenticated attacker with low privileges to escalate their privileges to 'root' leading to a full compromise of the system. The Junos OS Evolved CLI doesn't properly handle command options in some cases, allowing users which execute specific CLI commands with a crafted set of parameters to escalate their privileges to root on shell level. This issue affects Junos OS Evolved:  * All versions before 20.4R3-S7-EVO, * 21.2-EVO versions before 21.2R3-S8-EVO, * 21.4-EVO versions before 21.4R3-S7-EVO, * 22.1-EVO versions before 22.1R3-S6-EVO,  * 22.2-EVO versions before 22.2R3-EVO, * 22.3-EVO versions before 22.3R2-EVO, * 22.4-EVO versions before 22.4R2-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 confidence

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Junos OS Evolved CLI where improper handling of command options allows authenticated low-privilege users to gain root shell access. The issue stems from insufficient neutralization of special elements in CLI command parameters, enabling full system compromise.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied Junos OS Evolved patches for the specific version branch (20.4R3-S7-EVO, 21.2R3-S8-EVO, 21.4R3-S7-EVO, 22.1R3-S6-EVO, 22.2R3-EVO, 22.3R2-EVO, or 22.4R2-EVO and later) after appropriate testing in a non-production environment.

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
Junos Os EvolvedOperating system
Affected:< 20.4= 20.4= 21.2= 21.4= 22.2= 22.3= 22.4

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Identify Junos OS Evolved version
    Execute 'show version' or 'show version detail' via CLI to retrieve the installed Junos OS Evolved version number
    Affected if Version matches any of: < 20.4, 20.4, 21.2, 21.4, 22.2, 22.3, or 22.4 (before patched releases)
  2. Confirm product is Junos OS Evolved
    Verify the output from 'show version' indicates 'Junos OS Evolved' rather than standard Junos OS
    Affected if Product is Junos OS Evolved (not classic Junos OS)
  3. Check for low-privilege user accounts
    Review configured user accounts with 'show system users' or check authentication configuration for non-root accounts with CLI login access
    Affected if Low-privilege authenticated users have CLI shell access
  4. Verify CLI operational mode access
    Attempt to access CLI operational mode as a low-privilege test user or review user permission sets with 'show configuration system login'
    Affected if Authenticated users can execute CLI commands in operational mode

Environment is affected if running a vulnerable Junos OS Evolved version (20.4, 21.2, 21.4, 22.2, 22.3, 22.4, or any version before 20.4) AND low-privilege users have CLI access, allowing potential privilege escalation to root shell via malicious command options.

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 20.4 or later
Fixed in 20.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied Junos OS Evolved patches for the specific version branch (20.4R3-S7-EVO, 21.2R3-S8-EVO, 21.4R3-S7-EVO, 22.1R3-S6-EVO, 22.2R3-EVO, 22.3R2-EVO, or 22.4R2-EVO and later) after appropriate testing in a non-production environment.

Recommended fix High confidence

20.4R3-S7-EVO / 21.2R3-S8-EVO / 21.4R3-S7-EVO / 22.1R3-S6-EVO / 22.2R3-EVO / 22.3R2-EVO / 22.4R2-EVO (depending on branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current Junos OS Evolved version by running 'show version' in CLI
  2. 2. Based on current version, determine the minimum fixed release needed: for 20.4x go to 20.4R3-S7-EVO or later, for 21.2x go to 21.2R3-S8-EVO or later, for 21.4x go to 21.4R3-S7-EVO or later, for 22.1x go to 22.1R3-S6-EVO or later, for 22.2x go to 22.2R3-EVO or later, for 22.3x go to 22.3R2-EVO or later, for 22.4x go to 22.4R2-EVO or later
  3. 3. Download the appropriate Junos OS Evolved software package from the Juniper Networks support portal (supportportal.juniper.net)
  4. 4. Upload the software package to the device using 'request system software add <package> syncing' or similar command
  5. 5. Reboot the device after upgrade completes using 'request system reboot'
  6. 6. After reboot, verify the new version is installed by running 'show version' and confirm the fix is applied
Caveat Standard Junos upgrade precautions apply - review release notes for compatibility, ensure configuration backup exists, plan maintenance window for reboot

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

Fix this in Junos Os Evolved Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2024-39523 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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