CVE-2022-22215

CVE-2022-22215 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-772.

Key facts

Description

A Missing Release of File Descriptor or Handle after Effective Lifetime vulnerability in plugable authentication module (PAM) of Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved allows a locally authenticated attacker with low privileges to cause a Denial of Service (DoS). It is possible that after the termination of a gRPC connection the respective/var/run/<pid>.env file is not getting deleted which if occurring repeatedly can cause inode exhaustion. Inode exhaustion can present itself in two different ways: 1. The following log message can be observed: host kernel: pid <pid> (<process>), uid <uid> inumber <number> on /.mount/var: out of inodes which by itself is a clear indication. 2. The following log message can be observed: host <process>[<pid>]: ... : No space left on device which is not deterministic and just a representation of a write error which could have several reasons. So the following check needs to be done: user@host> show system storage no-forwarding Filesystem Size Used Avail Capacity Mounted on /dev/ada1p1 475M 300M 137M 69% /.mount/var which indicates that the write error is not actually due to a lack of disk space. If either 1. or 2. has been confirmed, then the output of: user@host> file list /var/run/*.env | count need to be checked and if it indicates a high (>10000) number of files the system has been affected by this issue. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS All versions prior to 19.1R3-S8; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R3-S6; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R3-S5; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R2-S6, 19.4R3-S7; 20.1 version 20.1R1 and later versions; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3-S5; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R3-S4; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R3; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3; 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R2. Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved All versions prior to 20.4R3-EVO; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S1-EVO; 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R1-S1-EVO, 21.2R2-EVO.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-22215?
A Missing Release of File Descriptor or Handle after Effective Lifetime vulnerability in plugable authentication module (PAM) of Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved allows a locally authenticated attacker with low privileges to cause a Denial of Service (DoS). It is possible that after the termination of a gRPC connection the respective/var/run/<pid>.env file is not getting deleted which if occurring repeatedly can cause inode exhaustion. Inode exhaustion can present itself in two different ways: 1. The following log message can be observed: host kernel: pid <pid> (<process>), uid <uid> inumber <number> on /.mount/var: out of inodes which by itself is a clear indication. 2. The following log message can be observed: host <process>[<pid>]: ... : No space left on device which is not deterministic and just a representation of a write error which could have several reasons. So the following check needs to be done: user@host> show system storage no-forwarding Filesystem Size Used Avail Capacity Mounted on /dev/ada1p1 475M 300M 137M 69% /.mount/var which indicates that the write error is not actually due to a lack of disk space. If either 1. or 2. has been confirmed, then the output of: user@host> file list /var/run/*.env | count need to be checked and if it indicates a high (>10000) number of files the system has been affected by this issue. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS All versions prior to 19.1R3-S8; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R3-S6; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R3-S5; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R2-S6, 19.4R3-S7; 20.1 version 20.1R1 and later versions; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3-S5; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R3-S4; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R3; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3; 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R2. Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved All versions prior to 20.4R3-EVO; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S1-EVO; 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R1-S1-EVO, 21.2R2-EVO.
How severe is CVE-2022-22215?
CVE-2022-22215 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-22215 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (42nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-22215?
CVE-2022-22215 primarily affects Juniper Junos. In total, 142 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-22215?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2022-22215 published?
CVE-2022-22215 was published on 2022-07-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (142)

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