CVE-2026-0203

HIGHCVSS 7.1/10EPSS 0.25%

Last modified

CVE-2026-0203 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7.1/10 on the CVSS scale. An Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions vulnerability in packet processing of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated, network-adjacent attacker sending a specifically malformed ICMP packet to cause an FPC to crash and restart, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS). When an ICMP packet is received with a specifically malformed IP header value, the FPC receiving the packet crashes and restarts. Due to the specific type of malformed packet, adjacent upstream routers would not forward the packet, limiting the attack surface to adjacent networks. This issue only affects ICMPv4. EPSS estimates a 0.25% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

An Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions vulnerability in packet processing of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated, network-adjacent attacker sending a specifically malformed ICMP packet to cause an FPC to crash and restart, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS). When an ICMP packet is received with a specifically malformed IP header value, the FPC receiving the packet crashes and restarts. Due to the specific type of malformed packet, adjacent upstream routers would not forward the packet, limiting the attack surface to adjacent networks. This issue only affects ICMPv4. ICMPv6 is not vulnerable to this issue. This issue does not affect AFT-based line cards such as the MPC10, MPC11, LC4800, LC9600, and MX304. This issue affects Junos OS:  * all versions before 21.2R3-S9,  * from 21.4 before 21.4R3-S10,  * from 22.2 before 22.2R3-S7,  * from 22.3 before 22.3R3-S4,  * from 22.4 before 22.4R3-S5,  * from 23.2 before 23.2R2-S3,  * from 23.4 before 23.4R2-S3,  * from 24.2 before 24.2R1-S2, 24.2R2.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
6.5/10

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

CVSS 4.0
7.1/10

CVSS:4.0/AV:A/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:X/RE:M/U:Amber

EPSS Probability
0.25%

16.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

VendorProductVersions
JuniperJunos< 21.2
JuniperJunos21.2
JuniperJunos21.4
JuniperJunos22.2
JuniperJunos22.3
JuniperJunos22.4
JuniperJunos23.2
JuniperJunos23.4
JuniperJunos24.2

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-0203?
An Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions vulnerability in packet processing of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated, network-adjacent attacker sending a specifically malformed ICMP packet to cause an FPC to crash and restart, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS). When an ICMP packet is received with a specifically malformed IP header value, the FPC receiving the packet crashes and restarts. Due to the specific type of malformed packet, adjacent upstream routers would not forward the packet, limiting the attack surface to adjacent networks. This issue only affects ICMPv4. ICMPv6 is not vulnerable to this issue. This issue does not affect AFT-based line cards such as the MPC10, MPC11, LC4800, LC9600, and MX304. This issue affects Junos OS:  * all versions before 21.2R3-S9,  * from 21.4 before 21.4R3-S10,  * from 22.2 before 22.2R3-S7,  * from 22.3 before 22.3R3-S4,  * from 22.4 before 22.4R3-S5,  * from 23.2 before 23.2R2-S3,  * from 23.4 before 23.4R2-S3,  * from 24.2 before 24.2R1-S2, 24.2R2.
How severe is CVE-2026-0203?
CVE-2026-0203 has a CVSS score of 7.1/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.25% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-0203?
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-2026-0203?

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

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Source: NVD / NIST