How severe is CVE-2026-21916?

CVE-2026-21916 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2026-21916 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (3rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-21916?

CVE-2026-21916 primarily affects Juniper Junos. In total, 39 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2026-21916?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

Does CVE-2026-21916 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2026-21916 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-21080.

When was CVE-2026-21916 published?

CVE-2026-21916 was published on 2026-04-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2026-21916

CVE-2026-21916 is a high-severity vulnerability in Juniper Junos with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3. 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-61.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.3)
CVSS v4: 7.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (3rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2026-21080
Weakness: CWE-61
Affected product: Juniper Junos
Published: 2026-04-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following vulnerability in the CLI of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows a local, authenticated attacker with low privileges to escalate their privileges to root which will lead to a complete compromise of the system. When after a user has performed a specific 'file link ...' CLI operation, another user commits (unrelated configuration changes), the first user can login as root. This issue affects Junos OS: * all versions before 23.2R2-S7, * 23.4 versions before 23.4R2-S6, * 24.2 versions before 24.2R2-S3, * 24.4 versions before 24.4R2-S2, * 25.2 versions before 25.2R2. This issue does not affect versions 25.4R1 or later.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-21916?: A UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following vulnerability in the CLI of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows a local, authenticated attacker with low privileges to escalate their privileges to root which will lead to a complete compromise of the system. When after a user has performed a specific 'file link ...' CLI operation, another user commits (unrelated configuration changes), the first user can login as root. This issue affects Junos OS: * all versions before 23.2R2-S7, * 23.4 versions before 23.4R2-S6, * 24.2 versions before 24.2R2-S3, * 24.4 versions before 24.4R2-S2, * 25.2 versions before 25.2R2. This issue does not affect versions 25.4R1 or later.
How severe is CVE-2026-21916?: CVE-2026-21916 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2026-21916 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (3rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-21916?: CVE-2026-21916 primarily affects Juniper Junos. In total, 39 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-21916?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2026-21916 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2026-21916 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-21080.
When was CVE-2026-21916 published?: CVE-2026-21916 was published on 2026-04-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://kb.juniper.net/JSA107807

Affected products (39)

cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:r1-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:r1-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:r2-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:r2-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:r2-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:r2-s4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:r2-s5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.2:r2-s6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.4:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.4:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.4:r1-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.4:r1-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.4:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.4:r2-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.4:r2-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.4:r2-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.4:r2-s4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:23.4:r2-s5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.2:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.2:r1-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.2:r1-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.2:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.2:r2-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.2:r2-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.4:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.4:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.4:r1-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.4:r1-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.4:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:24.4:r2-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:25.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:25.2:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:25.2:r1-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:25.2:r1-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*

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