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Junos CVE-2026-21903

MEDIUM
Stack-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-121)
2026-01-15 sirt@juniper.net
6.5
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Stack buffer bounds checking
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Impact

CVSS 6.5 (MEDIUM). Attack vector: Network. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: Low. User interaction: None. Exploitation requires authentication. Exploitable via remote/network.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker (requires authentication) could exploit this flaw, an FPC crash and restart.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

Denial-of-service in Juniper Junos OS Packet Forwarding Engine allows authenticated attackers to crash Forwarding Processor Cards by subscribing to telemetry sensors at scale, forcing service restarts and network disruption. The vulnerability affects Junos versions before 22.4R3-S7, 23.2R2-S4, and 23.4R2, with no patch currently available. Installation of specific YANG sensor packages mitigates the issue.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 21:54 CVSS 6.5

A Stack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability in the Packet Forwarding Engine (pfe) of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows a network-based attacker, authenticated with low privileges to cause a Denial-of-Service (DoS). [CVSS 6.5 MEDIUM]

RemediationAI

Monitor vendor advisories for a patch. Enable ASLR, DEP/NX, and stack canaries where possible. Restrict network access to the affected service where possible.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Classified as CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow). Affects Junos. A Stack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability in the Packet Forwarding Engine (pfe) of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows a network-based attacker, authenticated with low privileges to cause a Denial-of-Service (DoS).

Subscribing to telemetry sensors at scale causes all FPC connections to drop, resulting in an FPC crash and restart. The issue was not seen when YANG packages for the specific sensors were installed.

This issue affects Junos OS:

  • all versions before 22.4R3-S7,
  • 23.2

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  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 6.5 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

A Stack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability in the Packet Forwarding Engine (pfe) of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows a network-based attacker, authenticated with low privileges to cause a Denial-of-Service (DoS).

Subscribing to telemetry sensors at scale causes all FPC connections to drop, resulting in an FPC crash and restart. The issue was not seen when YANG packages for the specific sensors were installed.

This issue affects Junos OS:

  • all versions before 22.4R3-S7,
  • 23.2 version before 23.2R2-S4,
  • 23.4 versions before 23.4R2.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-21903 presents notable security risk, a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability rated CVSS 6.5. Exploitation could cause memory corruption or application crashes. Organizations should apply vendor updates when available and monitor for exploitation.

Business Impact: Moderate
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch. If patching is delayed: enable ASLR/DEP, apply network segmentation.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 97% exploitable
Data Quality
3 sources
Confidence: Low

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No

Priority Score

32
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +32
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

A stack-based buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a buffer located on the stack than it was allocated to hold.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r1-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r1-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r2-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r2-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r3-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r3-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r3-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r3-s4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r3-s5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:22.4:r3-s6:*:*:*:*:*:*
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:*:*:*:*:*:*
+ 7 more

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