CVE-2021-0258

CVE-2021-0258 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Juniper Junos with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-362.

Key facts

Description

A vulnerability in the forwarding of transit TCPv6 packets received on the Ethernet management interface of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an attacker to trigger a kernel panic, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS). Continued receipt and processing of these transit packets will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue only occurs when TCPv6 packets are routed through the management interface. Other transit traffic, and traffic destined to the management interface, are unaffected by this vulnerability. This issue was introduced as part of a TCP Parallelization feature added in Junos OS 17.2, and affects systems with concurrent network stack enabled. This feature is enabled by default, but can be disabled (see WORKAROUND section below). This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R3-S4; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S9; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S11, 17.4R3-S2; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S11; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3-S5; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R2-S4, 18.3R3-S3; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S5, 18.4R3-S4; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R2-S2, 19.1R3; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S5, 19.2R2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S4, 19.3R3; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S3, 19.4R2. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 17.2R1.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-0258?
A vulnerability in the forwarding of transit TCPv6 packets received on the Ethernet management interface of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an attacker to trigger a kernel panic, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS). Continued receipt and processing of these transit packets will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue only occurs when TCPv6 packets are routed through the management interface. Other transit traffic, and traffic destined to the management interface, are unaffected by this vulnerability. This issue was introduced as part of a TCP Parallelization feature added in Junos OS 17.2, and affects systems with concurrent network stack enabled. This feature is enabled by default, but can be disabled (see WORKAROUND section below). This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R3-S4; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S9; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S11, 17.4R3-S2; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S11; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3-S5; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R2-S4, 18.3R3-S3; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S5, 18.4R3-S4; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R2-S2, 19.1R3; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S5, 19.2R2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S4, 19.3R3; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S3, 19.4R2. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 17.2R1.
How severe is CVE-2021-0258?
CVE-2021-0258 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-0258 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (47th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-0258?
CVE-2021-0258 primarily affects Juniper Junos. In total, 156 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-0258?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-0258 published?
CVE-2021-0258 was published on 2021-04-22 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (156)

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