CVE-2021-0290

CVE-2021-0290 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Juniper Junos with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. 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-755.

Key facts

Description

Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions in Ethernet interface frame processing of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an attacker to send specially crafted frames over the local Ethernet segment, causing the interface to go into a down state, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) condition. The interface does not recover on its own and the FPC must be reset manually. Continued receipt and processing of these frames will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue is platform-specific and affects the following platforms and line cards: * MPC7E/8E/9E and MPC10E on MX240, MX480, MX960, MX2008, MX2010, and MX2020 * MX204, MX10003, MX10008, MX10016 * EX9200, EX9251 * SRX4600 No other products or platforms are affected by this vulnerability. An indication of this issue occurring can be seen in the system log messages, as shown below: user@host> show log messages | match "Failed to complete DFE tuning" fpc4 smic_phy_dfe_tuning_state: et-4/1/6 - Failed to complete DFE tuning (count 3) and interface will be in a permanently down state: user@host> show interfaces et-4/1/6 terse Interface Admin Link Proto Local Remote et-4/1/6 up down et-4/1/6.0 up down aenet --> ae101.0 This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R7-S7 on MX Series; 17.1R1 and later versions prior to 17.2R3-S3 on MX Series; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S8 on MX Series; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S11, 17.4R3-S1 on MX Series, SRX4600; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S10 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3-S3 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S1 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S3, 18.4R3 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R2-S1, 19.1R3 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S3, 19.2R2 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 16.1R1.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-0290?
Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions in Ethernet interface frame processing of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an attacker to send specially crafted frames over the local Ethernet segment, causing the interface to go into a down state, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) condition. The interface does not recover on its own and the FPC must be reset manually. Continued receipt and processing of these frames will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue is platform-specific and affects the following platforms and line cards: * MPC7E/8E/9E and MPC10E on MX240, MX480, MX960, MX2008, MX2010, and MX2020 * MX204, MX10003, MX10008, MX10016 * EX9200, EX9251 * SRX4600 No other products or platforms are affected by this vulnerability. An indication of this issue occurring can be seen in the system log messages, as shown below: user@host> show log messages | match "Failed to complete DFE tuning" fpc4 smic_phy_dfe_tuning_state: et-4/1/6 - Failed to complete DFE tuning (count 3) and interface will be in a permanently down state: user@host> show interfaces et-4/1/6 terse Interface Admin Link Proto Local Remote et-4/1/6 up down et-4/1/6.0 up down aenet --> ae101.0 This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R7-S7 on MX Series; 17.1R1 and later versions prior to 17.2R3-S3 on MX Series; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S8 on MX Series; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S11, 17.4R3-S1 on MX Series, SRX4600; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S10 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3-S3 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S1 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S3, 18.4R3 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R2-S1, 19.1R3 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S3, 19.2R2 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2 on MX Series, EX9200 Series, SRX4600. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 16.1R1.
How severe is CVE-2021-0290?
CVE-2021-0290 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-0290 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (30th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-0290?
CVE-2021-0290 primarily affects Juniper Junos. In total, 162 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-0290?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-0290 published?
CVE-2021-0290 was published on 2021-07-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (162)

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