CVE-2025-21601

HIGHCVSS 8.7/10EPSS 0.34%

Last modified

CVE-2025-21601 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 8.7/10 on the CVSS scale. An Improper Following of Specification by Caller vulnerability in web management (J-Web, Captive Portal, 802.1X, Juniper Secure Connect (JSC) of Juniper Networks Junos OS on SRX Series, EX Series, MX240, MX480, MX960, QFX5120 Series, allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker, sending genuine traffic targeted to the device to cause the CPU to climb until the device becomes unresponsive. Continuous receipt of these packets will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue affects Junos OS:  * All versions before 21.4R3-S9, * from 22.2 before 22.2R3-S5, * from 22.4 before 22.4R3-S4, * from 23.2 before 23.2R2-S3, * from 23.4 before 23.4R2-S3, * from 24.2 before 24.2R1-S1, 24.2R2. An indicator of compromise is to review the CPU % of the httpd process in the CLI: e.g.   show system processes extensive | match httpd  PID nobody       52   0   20M    191M select   2   0:01   80.00% httpd{httpd} <<<<< the percentage of httpd usage if high may be an indicator. EPSS estimates a 0.34% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

An Improper Following of Specification by Caller vulnerability in web management (J-Web, Captive Portal, 802.1X, Juniper Secure Connect (JSC) of Juniper Networks Junos OS on SRX Series, EX Series, MX240, MX480, MX960, QFX5120 Series, allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker, sending genuine traffic targeted to the device to cause the CPU to climb until the device becomes unresponsive. Continuous receipt of these packets will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue affects Junos OS:  * All versions before 21.4R3-S9, * from 22.2 before 22.2R3-S5, * from 22.4 before 22.4R3-S4, * from 23.2 before 23.2R2-S3, * from 23.4 before 23.4R2-S3, * from 24.2 before 24.2R1-S1, 24.2R2. An indicator of compromise is to review the CPU % of the httpd process in the CLI: e.g.   show system processes extensive | match httpd  PID nobody       52   0   20M    191M select   2   0:01   80.00% httpd{httpd} <<<<< the percentage of httpd usage if high may be an indicator

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

CVSS 4.0
8.7/10

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:Y/R:A/V:C/RE:M/U:Amber

EPSS Probability
0.34%

25.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

VendorProductVersionsUpdate
JuniperJunos<= 21.4
JuniperJunos21.4R1
JuniperJunos22.2
JuniperJunos22.4
JuniperJunos23.2
JuniperJunos23.4
JuniperJunos24.2

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-21601?
An Improper Following of Specification by Caller vulnerability in web management (J-Web, Captive Portal, 802.1X, Juniper Secure Connect (JSC) of Juniper Networks Junos OS on SRX Series, EX Series, MX240, MX480, MX960, QFX5120 Series, allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker, sending genuine traffic targeted to the device to cause the CPU to climb until the device becomes unresponsive. Continuous receipt of these packets will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue affects Junos OS:  * All versions before 21.4R3-S9, * from 22.2 before 22.2R3-S5, * from 22.4 before 22.4R3-S4, * from 23.2 before 23.2R2-S3, * from 23.4 before 23.4R2-S3, * from 24.2 before 24.2R1-S1, 24.2R2. An indicator of compromise is to review the CPU % of the httpd process in the CLI: e.g.   show system processes extensive | match httpd  PID nobody       52   0   20M    191M select   2   0:01   80.00% httpd{httpd} <<<<< the percentage of httpd usage if high may be an indicator
How severe is CVE-2025-21601?
CVE-2025-21601 has a CVSS score of 8.7/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.34% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2025-21601?
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.

Are you affected by CVE-2025-21601?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST