CVE-2021-0286: A vulnerability in the handling of exceptional conditions in Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved (EVO) allows an attacker to send specially crafted pack...

Description

A vulnerability in the handling of exceptional conditions in Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved (EVO) allows an attacker to send specially crafted packets to the device, causing the Advanced Forwarding Toolkit manager (evo-aftmand-bt or evo-aftmand-zx) process to crash and restart, impacting all traffic going through the FPC, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS). Continued receipt and processing of these packets will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. Following messages will be logged prior to the crash: Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 evo-aftmand-bt[16263]: [Error] Nexthop: Failed to get fwd nexthop for nexthop:32710470974358 label:1089551617 for session:18 probe:35 Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 evo-aftmand-bt[16263]: [Error] Nexthop: Failed to get fwd nexthop for nexthop:19241453497049 label:1089551617 for session:18 probe:37 Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 evo-aftmand-bt[16263]: [Error] Nexthop: Failed to get fwd nexthop for nexthop:19241453497049 label:1089551617 for session:18 probe:44 Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 evo-aftmand-bt[16263]: [Error] Nexthop: Failed to get fwd nexthop for nexthop:32710470974358 label:1089551617 for session:18 probe:47 Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 audit[16263]: ANOM_ABEND auid=4294967295 uid=0 gid=0 ses=4294967295 pid=16263 comm="EvoAftManBt-mai" exe="/usr/sbin/evo-aftmand-bt" sig=11 Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 kernel: audit: type=1701 audit(1612260879.272:17): auid=4294967295 uid=0 gid=0 ses=4294967295 pid=16263 comm="EvoAftManBt-mai" exe="/usr/sbin/evo-aftmand-bt" sig=1 This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved: All versions prior to 20.4R2-EVO; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R2-EVO.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

1.06%

60.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Juniper	Junos Os Evolved	19.2	R1
Juniper	Junos Os Evolved	19.3	R1
Juniper	Junos Os Evolved	19.4	R1
Juniper	Junos Os Evolved	20.1	—
Juniper	Junos Os Evolved	20.2	—
Juniper	Junos Os Evolved	20.3	—
Juniper	Junos Os Evolved	20.4	R1
Juniper	Junos Os Evolved	21.1	R1

References

https://kb.juniper.net/JSA11188Vendor Advisory
https://kb.juniper.net/JSA11188Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jul 15, 2021
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-0286?

A vulnerability in the handling of exceptional conditions in Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved (EVO) allows an attacker to send specially crafted packets to the device, causing the Advanced Forwarding Toolkit manager (evo-aftmand-bt or evo-aftmand-zx) process to crash and restart, impacting all traffic going through the FPC, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS). Continued receipt and processing of these packets will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. Following messages will be logged prior to the crash: Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 evo-aftmand-bt[16263]: [Error] Nexthop: Failed to get fwd nexthop for nexthop:32710470974358 label:1089551617 for session:18 probe:35 Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 evo-aftmand-bt[16263]: [Error] Nexthop: Failed to get fwd nexthop for nexthop:19241453497049 label:1089551617 for session:18 probe:37 Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 evo-aftmand-bt[16263]: [Error] Nexthop: Failed to get fwd nexthop for nexthop:19241453497049 label:1089551617 for session:18 probe:44 Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 evo-aftmand-bt[16263]: [Error] Nexthop: Failed to get fwd nexthop for nexthop:32710470974358 label:1089551617 for session:18 probe:47 Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 audit[16263]: ANOM_ABEND auid=4294967295 uid=0 gid=0 ses=4294967295 pid=16263 comm="EvoAftManBt-mai" exe="/usr/sbin/evo-aftmand-bt" sig=11 Feb 2 10:14:39 fpc0 kernel: audit: type=1701 audit(1612260879.272:17): auid=4294967295 uid=0 gid=0 ses=4294967295 pid=16263 comm="EvoAftManBt-mai" exe="/usr/sbin/evo-aftmand-bt" sig=1 This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved: All versions prior to 20.4R2-EVO; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R2-EVO.

How severe is CVE-2021-0286?

CVE-2021-0286 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.06% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2021-0286?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.