CVE-2023-4481: Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: A crafted BGP UPDATE message allows a remote attacker to de-peer (reset) BGP sessions (CVE-2023-4481)
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 36/100)
- 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: 18.3% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 97.2% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- Fixed version: Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS 20.4R3-S10, 21.2R3-S5, 21.3R3-S5; Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved 20.4R3-S10-EVO, 21.2R3-S7-EVO, 21.3R3-S5-EVO.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS 20.4R3-S10, 21.2R3-S5, 21.3R3-S5; Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved 20.4R3-S10-EVO, 21.2R3-S7-EVO, 21.3R3-S5-EVO 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
An Improper Input Validation vulnerability in the Routing Protocol Daemon (rpd) of Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS). When certain specific crafted BGP UPDATE messages are received over an established BGP session, one BGP session may be torn down with an UPDATE message error, or the issue may propagate beyond the local system which will remain non-impacted, but may affect one or more remote systems. This issue is exploitable remotely as the crafted UPDATE message can propagate through unaffected systems and intermediate BGP speakers. Continuous receipt of the crafted BGP UPDATE messages will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition for impacted devices. This issue affects eBGP and iBGP, in both IPv4 and IPv6 implementations. This issue requires a remote attacker to have at least one established BGP session. Improper Input Validation, Denial of Service vulnerability in Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS (BGP, rpd modules), Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved (BGP, rpd modules) allows Fuzzing.This issue affects Junos OS: * All versions before 20.4R3-S10, * from 21.1R1 through 21.*, * from 21.2 before 21.2R3-S5, * from 21.3 before 21.3R3-S5, * from 21.4 before 21.4R3-S7 (unaffected from 21.4R3-S5, affected from 21.4R3-S6) * from 22.1 before 22.1R3-S4, * from 22.2 before 22.2R3-S3, * from 22.3 before 22.3R3-S1, * from 22.4 before 22.4R3, * from 23.2 before 23.2R2. Junos OS Evolved: * All versions before 20.4R3-S10-EVO, * from 21.2-EVO before 21.2R3-S7-EVO, * from 21.3-EVO before 21.3R3-S5-EVO, * from 21.4-EVO before 21.4R3-S5-EVO, * from 22.1-EVO before 22.1R3-S4-EVO, * from 22.2-EVO before 22.2R3-S3-EVO, * from 22.3-EVO before 22.3R3-S1-EVO, * from 22.4-EVO before 22.4R3-EVO, * from 23.2-EVO before 23.2R2-EVO.
- Published
- Aug 31, 2023
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 18.3% · 97th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-20
Report tools
Action score
36
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 6 / 30 · 18.3%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · juniper
- 7.5
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
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.
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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 20.4
- juniper junos20.4
- juniper junos21.1
- juniper junos21.2
- juniper junos21.3
- juniper junos21.4
- juniper junos22.1
- juniper junos22.2
- juniper junos22.3
- juniper junos22.4
- juniper junos23.2
- juniper junos os evolvedbefore 20.4
- juniper junos os evolved20.4
- juniper junos os evolved21.2
- juniper junos os evolved21.3
- juniper junos os evolved21.4
- juniper junos os evolved22.1
- juniper junos os evolved22.2
- juniper junos os evolved22.3
- juniper junos os evolved22.4
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, Inc. Junos OS
- before 20.4R3-S10affected · semver
- 21.2 and later · before 21.2R3-S5affected · semver
- 21.3 and later · before 21.3R3-S5affected · semver
- 21.4 and later · before 21.4R3-S7affected · semverfixed in 21.4R3-S5
- 22.1 and later · before 22.1R3-S4affected · semver
- 22.2 and later · before 22.2R3-S3affected · se
- 22.3 and later · before 22.3R3-S1affected · semver
- 22.4 and later · before 22.4R3affected · semver
- 23.2 and later · before 23.2R2affected · semver
- 21.1R1 and later · up to and including 21.*affected · semver
Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved
- before 20.4R3-S10-EVOaffected · semver
- 21.2-EVO and later · before 21.2R3-S7-EVOaffected · semver
- 21.3-EVO and later · before 21.3R3-S5-EVOaffected · semver
- 21.4-EVO and later · before 21.4R3-S5-EVOaffected · semver
- 22.1-EVO and later · before 22.1R3-S4-EVOaffected · semver
- 22.2-EVO and later · before 22.2R3-S3-EVOaffected · semver
- 22.3-EVO and later · before 22.3R3-S1-EVOaffected · semver
- 22.4-EVO and later · before 22.4R3-EVOaffected · semver
- 23.2-EVO and later · before 23.2R2-EVOaffected · semver
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-2023-36850Jul 14, 2023 · Junos OS: MX Series: An MPC will crash upon receipt of a malformed CFM packet.26Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2023-36847Aug 17, 2023 · Junos OS: EX Series: A vulnerability in J-Web allows an unauthenticated attacker to upload arbitrary filesKEV76This week
- Later →CVE-2023-36851Sep 27, 2023 · Junos OS: SRX Series: A vulnerability in J-Web allows an unauthenticated attacker to upload and download arbitrary filesKEV60This week
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS | 20.4R3-S10 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS | 21.2R3-S5 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS | 21.3R3-S5 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS | 21.4R3-S5 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS | 21.4R3-S7 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS | 22.1R3-S4 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS | 22.2R3-S3 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS | 22.3R3-S1 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS | 22.4R3 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS | 23.2R2 | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved | 20.4R3-S10-EVO | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved | 21.2R3-S7-EVO | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved | 21.3R3-S5-EVO | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved | 21.4R3-S5-EVO | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved | 22.1R3-S4-EVO | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved | 22.2R3-S3-EVO | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved | 22.3R3-S1-EVO | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved | 22.4R3-EVO | Vendor (CNA) |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. Junos OS Evolved | 23.2R2-EVO | Vendor (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.
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 researchersFinders, 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.
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
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- 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
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-20 · Improper Input ValidationCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
nvd-secondary
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)
- Buffer Overflow via Environment VariablesCAPEC-10likelihood: High · High
- Server Side Include (SSI) InjectionCAPEC-101likelihood: High · High
- Cross Zone ScriptingCAPEC-104likelihood: Medium · High
- Command Line Execution through SQL InjectionCAPEC-108likelihood: Low · Very High
- Object Relational Mapping InjectionCAPEC-109likelihood: Low · High
- SQL Injection through SOAP Parameter TamperingCAPEC-110likelihood: High · Very High
- Double EncodingCAPEC-120likelihood: Low · Medium
- Subverting Environment Variable ValuesCAPEC-13likelihood: High · Very High
ATT&CK techniques
- Obfuscated Files or InformationT1027
- Masquerading: Invalid Code SignatureT1036.001
- Steal Web Session CookieT1539
- Subvert Trust Controls: Code SigningT1553.002
- Impair Defenses:Impair Command History LoggingT1562.003
- Hijack Execution Flow:Dynamic Linker HijackingT1574.006
- Hijack Execution Flow:Path Interception by PATH Environment VariableT1574.007
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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References
Show all references (3 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.