CVE-2021-0291: An Exposure of System Data vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved, where a sensitive system-level resource is not being suffi...

Description

An Exposure of System Data vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved, where a sensitive system-level resource is not being sufficiently protected, allows a network-based unauthenticated attacker to send specific traffic which partially reaches this resource. A high rate of specific traffic may lead to a partial Denial of Service (DoS) as the CPU utilization of the RE is significantly increased. The SNMP Agent Extensibility (agentx) process should only be listening to TCP port 705 on the internal routing instance. External connections destined to port 705 should not be allowed. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS: 15.1 versions prior to 15.1R7-S9; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S12; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S13, 17.4R3-S5; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S5; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S8; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R3-S5; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R3-S2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S6, 19.3R3-S2; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S4, 19.4R2-S4, 19.4R3; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R2; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R2; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R2. Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved versions prior to 20.3R2-EVO. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 13.2R1.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

6.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

1.01%

58.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Juniper	Junos	15.1	—
Juniper	Junos	17.3	—
Juniper	Junos	17.4	—
Juniper	Junos	18.3	—
Juniper	Junos	18.4	—
Juniper	Junos	19.1	—
Juniper	Junos	19.2	—
Juniper	Junos	19.3	—
Juniper	Junos	19.4	R1
Juniper	Junos	20.1	R1
Juniper	Junos	20.2	R1
Juniper	Junos	20.3	R1
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	—

References

https://kb.juniper.net/JSA11193Vendor Advisory
https://kb.juniper.net/JSA11193Vendor Advisory

Timeline

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-0291?

An Exposure of System Data vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved, where a sensitive system-level resource is not being sufficiently protected, allows a network-based unauthenticated attacker to send specific traffic which partially reaches this resource. A high rate of specific traffic may lead to a partial Denial of Service (DoS) as the CPU utilization of the RE is significantly increased. The SNMP Agent Extensibility (agentx) process should only be listening to TCP port 705 on the internal routing instance. External connections destined to port 705 should not be allowed. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS: 15.1 versions prior to 15.1R7-S9; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S12; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S13, 17.4R3-S5; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S5; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S8; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R3-S5; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R3-S2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S6, 19.3R3-S2; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S4, 19.4R2-S4, 19.4R3; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R2; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R2; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R2. Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved versions prior to 20.3R2-EVO. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 13.2R1.

How severe is CVE-2021-0291?

CVE-2021-0291 has a CVSS score of 6.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.01% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2021-0291?

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.