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NVD / CVE Program· CNA juniper

CVE-2021-0253: Junos OS: NFX Series: Local Command Execution Vulnerability in JDMD Leads to Privilege Escalation

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 31/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.54% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Juniper Networks Junos OS 19.2R3.
  • Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Juniper Networks Junos OS 19.2R3 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

NFX Series devices using Juniper Networks Junos OS are susceptible to a local command execution vulnerability thereby allowing an attacker to elevate their privileges via the Junos Device Management Daemon (JDMD) process. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS on NFX Series 17.2 version 17.2R1 and later versions prior to 18.3R3-S4; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S5, 18.4R3-S5; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R1-S3; 19.2 version 19.1R2 and later versions prior to 19.2R3; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R3; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R2-S2. 19.4 versions 19.4R3 and above. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 17.2R1. This issue does not affect the JDMD as used by Junos Node Slicing such as External Servers use in conjunction with Junos Node Slicing and In-Chassis Junos Node Slicing on MX480, MX960, MX2008, MX2010, MX2020.

HighCVSS 7.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Apr 22, 2021
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
0.5% · 45th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

31

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.5%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
7.8
CNA · juniper
7.8
agree

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2021-0253

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
juniperjunos
junipernfx150
junipernfx250
junipernfx350

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • juniper junos17.2
  • juniper junos17.3
  • juniper junos17.4
  • juniper junos18.1
  • juniper junos18.2
  • juniper junos18.3
  • juniper junos18.4
  • juniper junos19.1
  • juniper junos19.2
  • juniper junos19.3
  • juniper junos19.4

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (juniper). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Juniper Networks Junos OS

    • unspecified and later · before 18.3R3-S4affected
    • 17.2R1 and later · before 17.2*affected
    • 18.4 and later · before 18.4R2-S5, 18.4R3-S5affected
    • 19.1 and later · before 19.1R1-S3affected
    • 19.1R2 and later · before 19.2*affectedfixed in 19.2R3
    • 19.3 and later · before 19.3R3affected
    • 19.4 and later · before 19.4R2-S2affected
    • unspecified and later · before 17.2R1not affected

Same product

juniper: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2023-36845Junos OS: EX and SRX Series: A PHP vulnerability in J-Web allows an unauthenticated to control an important environment variableKEV
    98Now
  • CVE-2023-36846Junos OS: SRX Series: A vulnerability in J-Web allows an unauthenticated attacker to upload arbitrary filesKEV
    79This week
  • CVE-2023-36844Junos OS: EX Series: A PHP vulnerability in J-Web allows an unauthenticated attacker to control important environment variablesKEV
    78This week

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2021-0251Apr 22, 2021 · Junos OS: MX Series with MS-PIC, MS-SPC3, MS-MIC or MS-MPC: The BRAS Subscriber Services service activation portal is vulnerable to a Denial of Service (DoS) vi
    34Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2021-0252Apr 22, 2021 · Junos OS: NFX Series: Local Code Execution Vulnerability in JDMD Leads to Privilege Escalation
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2021-0254Apr 22, 2021 · Junos OS: Remote code execution vulnerability in overlayd service
    40Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Juniper Networks Junos OS19.2R3Vendor (CNA)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

—

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

  • CVE-2021-02680 days apartJunos OS: J-Web has an Improper Neutralization of CRLF Sequences in its HTTP Headers which allows an attacker to carry out multiple types of attacks.
    37Monitor
  • CVE-2021-02600 days apartJunos OS: SNMP fails to properly perform authorization checks on incoming received SNMP requests.
    29Monitor

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)

Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.

All national notices →

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-77 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records