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NVD / CVE Program· CNA juniper

CVE-2026-21920: Junos OS: SRX Series: If a specific request is processed by the DNS subsystem flowd will crash

HighCVSS 8.7 · v4.0—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 34/100)

  • 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: 0.47% (FIRST EPSS).
  • 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 Junos OS 23.4R2-S5, 24.2R2-S1, 24.4R2.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Juniper Networks Junos OS 23.4R2-S5, 24.2R2-S1, 24.4R2 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 Unchecked Return Value vulnerability in the DNS module of Juniper Networks Junos OS on SRX Series allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause a Denial-of-Service (DoS). If an SRX Series device configured for DNS processing, receives a specifically formatted DNS request flowd will crash and restart, which causes a service interruption until the process has recovered. This issue affects Junos OS on SRX Series: * 23.4 versions before 23.4R2-S5, * 24.2 versions before 24.2R2-S1, * 24.4 versions before 24.4R2. This issue does not affect Junos OS versions before 23.4R1.

Published
Jan 15, 2026
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.4% · 41th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

34

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
34 / 40 · 8.7 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.4%

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.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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
  • A fix has been released

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

Follow CVE-2026-21920

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
junipersrx1500
junipersrx1600
junipersrx2300
junipersrx300
junipersrx320
junipersrx340
junipersrx345
junipersrx380
junipersrx4100
junipersrx4120
junipersrx4200

and 6 more

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

    • 23.4 and later · before 23.4R2-S5affected · semver
    • 24.2 and later · before 24.2R2-S1affected · semver
    • 24.4 and later · before 24.4R2affected · semver
    • before 23.4R1not affected · semver

Affected versions

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

  • juniper junos23.4
  • juniper junos24.2
  • juniper junos24.4

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-2026-21917Jan 15, 2026 · Junos OS: SRX Series: Specifically malformed SSL packet causes FPC crash
    34Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-21918Jan 15, 2026 · Junos OS: SRX and MX Series: When TCP packets occur in a specific sequence flowd crashes
    34Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-21921Jan 15, 2026 · Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: When telemetry collectors are frequently subscribing and unsubscribing to sensors chassisd or rpd will crash
    28Monitor

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 OS23.4R2-S5Vendor (CNA)
Juniper Networks Junos OS24.2R2-S1Vendor (CNA)
Juniper Networks Junos OS24.4R2Vendor (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.

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · patch commit or PR link · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

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
Integrity
Availability
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
X

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-252 · Unchecked Return Value

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:Y/R:A/V:X/RE:M/U:X

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.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

References

Show all references (1 more)

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

All records