Junos OS: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
CVE-2024-21611 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 21.4R3, 22.1R3, 22.2R3 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 0.59% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Junos OS to 21.4R3 or 22.1R3 or 22.2R3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Junos OS Evolved to 21.4R3-EVO or 22.1R3-EVO or 22.2R3-EVO, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Read the advisory on supportportal.juniper.net for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juniper Networks | Junos OS | 21.4 up to, but not including, 21.4R3; 22.1 up to, but not including, 22.1R3; 22.2 up to, but not including, 22.2R3 | 21.4R3, 22.1R3, 22.2R3 |
| Juniper Networks | Junos OS Evolved | 21.4-EVO up to, but not including, 21.4R3-EVO; 22.1-EVO up to, but not including, 22.1R3-EVO; 22.2-EVO up to, but not including, 22.2R3-EVO | 21.4R3-EVO, 22.1R3-EVO, 22.2R3-EVO |
| Juniper Networks | Junos | 21.4; 22.1; 22.2 | Not 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 system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | CNA (juniper.net) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | NVD |
Official description
A Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerability in the Routing Protocol Daemon (rpd) of Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS). In a Juniper Flow Monitoring (jflow) scenario route churn that causes BGP next hops to be updated will cause a slow memory leak and eventually a crash and restart of rpd. Thread level memory utilization for the areas where the leak occurs can be checked using the below command: user@host> show task memory detail | match so_in so_in6 28 32 344450 11022400 344760 11032320 so_in 8 16 1841629 29466064 1841734 29467744 This issue affects: Junos OS * 21.4 versions earlier than 21.4R3; * 22.1 versions earlier than 22.1R3; * 22.2 versions earlier than 22.2R3. Junos OS Evolved * 21.4-EVO versions earlier than 21.4R3-EVO; * 22.1-EVO versions earlier than 22.1R3-EVO; * 22.2-EVO versions earlier than 22.2R3-EVO. This issue does not affect: Juniper Networks Junos OS versions earlier than 21.4R1. Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved versions earlier than 21.4R1.
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
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Third-party and government advisories
Other vulnerabilities in Junos OS
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
Spotted an error? Tell us.