CVE-2021-31378

CVE-2021-31378 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Juniper Junos with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8. 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-772.

Key facts

Description

In broadband environments, including but not limited to Enhanced Subscriber Management, (CHAP, PPP, DHCP, etc.), on Juniper Networks Junos OS devices where RADIUS servers are configured for managing subscriber access and a subscriber is logged in and then requests to logout, the subscriber may be forced into a "Terminating" state by an attacker who is able to send spoofed messages appearing to originate from trusted RADIUS server(s) destined to the device in response to the subscriber's request. These spoofed messages cause the Junos OS General Authentication Service (authd) daemon to force the broadband subscriber into this "Terminating" state which the subscriber will not recover from thereby causing a Denial of Service (DoS) to the endpoint device. Once in the "Terminating" state, the endpoint subscriber will no longer be able to access the network. Restarting the authd daemon on the Junos OS device will temporarily clear the subscribers out of the "Terminating" state. As long as the attacker continues to send these spoofed packets and subscribers request to be logged out, the subscribers will be returned to the "Terminating" state thereby creating a persistent Denial of Service to the subscriber. An indicator of compromise may be seen by displaying the output of "show subscribers summary". The presence of subscribers in the "Terminating" state may indicate the issue is occurring. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S12; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R3-S5; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S13; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3-S8; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S5; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S8, 18.4R3-S9; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R3-S6; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S7, 19.2R3-S3; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S6, 19.3R3-S3; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S4, 19.4R1-S4, 19.4R3-S3; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R3; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3-S1; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R3; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R3; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R2. This issue does not affect: Juniper Networks Junos OS 12.3 version 12.3R1 and later versions; 15.1 version 15.1R1 and later versions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-31378?
In broadband environments, including but not limited to Enhanced Subscriber Management, (CHAP, PPP, DHCP, etc.), on Juniper Networks Junos OS devices where RADIUS servers are configured for managing subscriber access and a subscriber is logged in and then requests to logout, the subscriber may be forced into a "Terminating" state by an attacker who is able to send spoofed messages appearing to originate from trusted RADIUS server(s) destined to the device in response to the subscriber's request. These spoofed messages cause the Junos OS General Authentication Service (authd) daemon to force the broadband subscriber into this "Terminating" state which the subscriber will not recover from thereby causing a Denial of Service (DoS) to the endpoint device. Once in the "Terminating" state, the endpoint subscriber will no longer be able to access the network. Restarting the authd daemon on the Junos OS device will temporarily clear the subscribers out of the "Terminating" state. As long as the attacker continues to send these spoofed packets and subscribers request to be logged out, the subscribers will be returned to the "Terminating" state thereby creating a persistent Denial of Service to the subscriber. An indicator of compromise may be seen by displaying the output of "show subscribers summary". The presence of subscribers in the "Terminating" state may indicate the issue is occurring. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S12; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R3-S5; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S13; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3-S8; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S5; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S8, 18.4R3-S9; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R3-S6; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S7, 19.2R3-S3; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S6, 19.3R3-S3; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S4, 19.4R1-S4, 19.4R3-S3; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R3; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3-S1; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R3; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R3; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R2. This issue does not affect: Juniper Networks Junos OS 12.3 version 12.3R1 and later versions; 15.1 version 15.1R1 and later versions.
How severe is CVE-2021-31378?
CVE-2021-31378 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8, 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-2021-31378 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (58th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-31378?
CVE-2021-31378 primarily affects Juniper Junos. In total, 210 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-31378?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-31378 published?
CVE-2021-31378 was published on 2021-10-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (210)

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