CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2022-22174NVD status: Modified

Junos OS: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2022-22174 is a high-severity missing release of memory after effective lifetime vulnerability in Junos OS from Juniper Networks, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 18.3R3-S6, 18.4R2-S9, 18.4R3-S9, 19.1R2-S3, 19.1R3-S7 as the first without the flaw, so updating Junos OS to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.96% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 62% of scored CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Junos OS to 18.3R3-S6 or 18.4R2-S9, 18.4R3-S9 or 19.1R2-S3, 19.1R3-S7 or 19.2R1-S8, 19.2R3-S3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Read the advisory on kb.juniper.net for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  3. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Juniper NetworksJunos OS18.3 up to, but not including, 18.3R3-S6; 18.4 up to, but not including, 18.4R2-S9, 18.4R3-S9; 19.1 up to, but not including, 19.1R2-S3, 19.1R3-S7; 19.2 up to, but not including, 19.2R1-S8, 19.2R3-S3; 19.3 up to, but not including, 19.3R2-S7, 19.3R3-S4; 19.4 up to, but not including, 19.4R2-S5, 19.4R3-S6; 20.1 up to, but not including, 20.1R3-S1; 20.2 up to, but not including, 20.2R3-S2; and 4 more ranges18.3R3-S6, 18.4R2-S9, 18.4R3-S9, 19.1R2-S3, 19.1R3-S7, 19.2R1-S8, 19.2R3-S3, 19.3R2-S7, 19.3R3-S4, 19.4R2-S5, 19.4R3-S6
Juniper NetworksJunos18.3; 18.4; 19.1; 19.2; 19.3; 19.4; 20.1; 20.2; and 4 more rangesNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
NoneNo data is disclosed.
Integrity
NoneNothing can be modified.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.17.5HighCNA (juniper.net)
CVSS 3.17.5HighNVD
CVSS 2.05.0MediumNVD

Official description

A vulnerability in the processing of inbound IPv6 packets in Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX5000 Series and EX4600 switches may cause the memory to not be freed, leading to a packet DMA memory leak, and eventual Denial of Service (DoS) condition. Once the condition occurs, further packet processing will be impacted, creating a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. The following error logs may be observed using the "show heap" command and the device may eventually run out of memory if such packets are received continuously. Jan 12 12:00:00 device-name fpc0 (buf alloc) failed allocating packet buffer Jan 12 12:00:01 device-name fpc0 (buf alloc) failed allocating packet buffer user@device-name> request pfe execute target fpc0 timeout 30 command "show heap" ID Base Total(b) Free(b) Used(b) % Name -- ---------- ----------- ----------- ----------- --- ----------- 0 246fc1a8 536870488 353653752 183216736 34 Kernel 1 91800000 16777216 12069680 4707536 28 DMA 2 92800000 75497472 69997640 5499832 7 PKT DMA DESC 3 106fc000 335544320 221425960 114118360 34 Bcm_sdk 4 97000000 176160768 200 176160568 99 Packet DMA <<<<<<<<<<<<<< 5 903fffe0 20971504 20971504 0 0 Blob This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX5000 Series, EX4600: 18.3R3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S6; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S9, 18.4R3-S9; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R2-S3, 19.1R3-S7; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S8, 19.2R3-S3; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S7, 19.3R3-S4; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R2-S5, 19.4R3-S6; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R3-S1; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3-S2; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R3-S1; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R3; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R2-S1, 21.1R3; 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R1-S1, 21.2R2. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS: Any versions prior to 17.4R3; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S6; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R2.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime

The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language or tool that provides automatic memory management, or makes manual memory management less error-prone. For example, glibc in Linux provides protection against free of invalid pointers. When using Xcode to target OS X or iOS, enable automatic reference counting (ARC). To help correctly and consistently manage memory when programming in C++, consider using a smart pointer class such as std
  • Use an abstraction library to abstract away risky APIs. Not a complete solution.
  • Consider using the Boehm-Demers-Weiser garbage collector (bdwgc), which can help avoid leaks.

More Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerabilities (CWE-401)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in Junos OS

All Junos OS vulnerabilities

Recent Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerabilities

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