CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-30398NVD status: Analyzed

Junos OS: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer

CVE-2024-30398 is a high-severity improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer 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 21.2R3-S7, 21.4R3-S6, 22.1R3-S5 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 0.6% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Junos OS to 21.2R3-S7 or 21.4R3-S6 or 22.1R3-S5 or 22.2R3-S3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update junos to 21.2r3-s7 or 1.4r3-s6 or 22.1r3-s5 or 22.2r3-s3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  3. Read the advisory on supportportal.juniper.net for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  4. 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 OS21.2 up to, but not including, 21.2R3-S7; 21.4 up to, but not including, 21.4R3-S6; 22.1 up to, but not including, 22.1R3-S5; 22.2 up to, but not including, 22.2R3-S3; 22.3 up to, but not including, 22.3R3-S2; 22.4 up to, but not including, 22.4R3; 23.2 up to, but not including, 23.2R1-S2, 23.2R221.2R3-S7, 21.4R3-S6, 22.1R3-S5, 22.2R3-S3, 22.3R3-S2, 22.4R3
Juniper Networksjunos21.2 up to, but not including, 21.2r3-s7; 21.4 up to, but not including, 1.4r3-s6; 22.1 up to, but not including, 22.1r3-s5; 22.2 up to, but not including, 22.2r3-s3; 22.3 up to, but not including, 22.3r3-s2; 22.4 up to, but not including, 22.4r3; 23.2 up to, but not including, 23.2r1-s2; 23.2 up to, but not including, 23.2r221.2r3-s7, 1.4r3-s6, 22.1r3-s5, 22.2r3-s3, 22.3r3-s2, 22.4r3

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 CNA (juniper.net).

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 4.08.7HighCNA (juniper.net)
CVSS 3.17.5HighCNA (juniper.net)

Official description

An Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer vulnerability in the Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS). When a high amount of specific traffic is received on a SRX4600 device, due to an error in internal packet handling, a consistent rise in CPU memory utilization occurs. This results in packet drops in the traffic and eventually the PFE crashes. A manual reboot of the PFE will be required to restore the device to original state. This issue affects Junos OS: * 21.2 before 21.2R3-S7, * 21.4 before 21.4R3-S6, * 22.1 before 22.1R3-S5, * 22.2 before 22.2R3-S3, * 22.3 before 22.3R3-S2, * 22.4 before 22.4R3, * 23.2 before 23.2R1-S2, 23.2R2.

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

The underlying weakness: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer

The product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it reads from or writes to a memory location outside the buffer's intended boundary.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples include the Safe C String Library (SafeStr) by Messier and Viega, and the Strsafe.h library from Microsoft. These libraries provide safer versions of overflow-prone string-handling functions.
  • Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.

More Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer vulnerabilities (CWE-119)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in Junos OS

All Junos OS vulnerabilities

Recent Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer vulnerabilities

Spotted an error? Tell us.