CVE-2022-22215: Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: /var/run/<pid>.env files are potentially not deleted during termination of a gRPC connection causing inode exhaustion
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)
- 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: 0.62% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 50.2% of all records.
- 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.
- According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.
Low priority for now. Update when a fix is released; follow the vendor's advisory.
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
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.
- Published
- Jul 20, 2022
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.6% · 50th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-772
Report tools
Action score
22
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.6%
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 5.5
- CNA · juniper
- 6.5
- 1.0 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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
- No fixed version yet
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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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.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected 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.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| juniper | junos | cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos |
| juniper | junos os evolved | cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos_os_evolved |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- juniper junosbefore 19.1
- juniper junos19.1
- juniper junos19.2
- juniper junos19.3
- juniper junos19.4
- juniper junos20.1
- juniper junos20.2
- juniper junos20.3
- juniper junos20.4
- juniper junos21.1
- juniper junos21.2
- juniper junos os evolvedbefore 20.4
- juniper junos os evolved20.4
- juniper junos os evolved21.1
- juniper junos os evolved21.2
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 19.1R3-S8affected
- 19.2 and later · before 19.2R3-S6affected
- 19.3 and later · before 19.3R3-S5affected
- 19.4 and later · before 19.4R2-S6, 19.4R3-S7affected
- 20.1R1 and later · before 20.1*affected
- 20.2 and later · before 20.2R3-S5affected
- 20.3 and later · before 20.3R3-S4affected
- 20.4 and later · before 20.4R3affected
- 21.1 and later · before 21.1R3affected
- 21.2 and later · before 21.2R2affected
Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved
- unspecified and later · before 20.4R3-EVOaffected
- 21.1 and later · before 21.1R3-S1-EVOaffected
- 21.2 and later · before 21.2R1-S1-EVO, 21.2R2-EVOaffected
Same product
juniper: all recordsOther 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 variableKEV98Now
- CVE-2023-36846Junos OS: SRX Series: A vulnerability in J-Web allows an unauthenticated attacker to upload arbitrary filesKEV79This week
- CVE-2023-36844Junos OS: EX Series: A PHP vulnerability in J-Web allows an unauthenticated attacker to control important environment variablesKEV78This week
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2022-22213Jul 20, 2022 · Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability in RPD upon receipt of specific BGP update23Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2022-22214Jul 20, 2022 · Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: In an MPLS scenario upon receipt of a specific IPv6 packet an FPC will crash26Monitor
- Later →CVE-2022-22216Jul 20, 2022 · Junos OS: PTX Series and QFX10000 Series: 'Etherleak' memory disclosure in Ethernet padding data17Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
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.
No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).
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 researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
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
- none
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-772 · Missing Release of Resource after Effective LifetimeCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
ATT&CK techniques
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.