CVE-2021-31364: An Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions vulnerability combined with a Race Condition in the flow daemon (flowd) of Juniper Networks Ju...

Description

An Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions vulnerability combined with a Race Condition in the flow daemon (flowd) of Juniper Networks Junos OS on SRX300 Series, SRX500 Series, SRX1500, and SRX5000 Series with SPC2 allows an unauthenticated network based attacker sending specific traffic to cause a crash of the flowd/srxpfe process, responsible for traffic forwarding in SRX, which will cause a Denial of Service (DoS). Continued receipt and processing of this specific traffic will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue can only occur when specific packets are trying to create the same session and logging for session-close is configured as a policy action. Affected platforms are: SRX300 Series, SRX500 Series, SRX1500, and SRX5000 Series with SPC2. Not affected platforms are: SRX4000 Series, SRX5000 Series with SPC3, and vSRX Series. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS SRX300 Series, SRX500 Series, SRX1500, and SRX5000 Series with SPC2: All versions prior to 17.4R3-S5; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S5; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R3-S9; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R3-S6; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S7, 19.2R3-S2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S6, 19.3R3-S2; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S4, 19.4R3-S3; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R2-S2, 20.1R3; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R2-S1, 20.3R3; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R2.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.9/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.64%

46.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
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	20.4	R1

References

https://kb.juniper.net/JSA11226Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://kb.juniper.net/JSA11226Patch, Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Oct 19, 2021
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-31364?

An Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions vulnerability combined with a Race Condition in the flow daemon (flowd) of Juniper Networks Junos OS on SRX300 Series, SRX500 Series, SRX1500, and SRX5000 Series with SPC2 allows an unauthenticated network based attacker sending specific traffic to cause a crash of the flowd/srxpfe process, responsible for traffic forwarding in SRX, which will cause a Denial of Service (DoS). Continued receipt and processing of this specific traffic will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue can only occur when specific packets are trying to create the same session and logging for session-close is configured as a policy action. Affected platforms are: SRX300 Series, SRX500 Series, SRX1500, and SRX5000 Series with SPC2. Not affected platforms are: SRX4000 Series, SRX5000 Series with SPC3, and vSRX Series. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS SRX300 Series, SRX500 Series, SRX1500, and SRX5000 Series with SPC2: All versions prior to 17.4R3-S5; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S5; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R3-S9; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R3-S6; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S7, 19.2R3-S2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S6, 19.3R3-S2; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S4, 19.4R3-S3; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R2-S2, 20.1R3; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R2-S1, 20.3R3; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R2.

How severe is CVE-2021-31364?

CVE-2021-31364 has a CVSS score of 5.9/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.64% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2021-31364?

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.