CVE-2018-0044
NFX Series: Insecure sshd configuration in Juniper Device Manager (JDM) and host OS
- 9.8CriticalCVSS base score
- 1.3%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 28% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
An insecure SSHD configuration in Juniper Device Manager (JDM) and host OS on Juniper NFX Series devices may allow remote unauthenticated access if any of the passwords on the system are empty. The affected SSHD configuration has the PermitEmptyPasswords option set to "yes". Affected releases are Juniper Networks Junos OS: 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R4 on NFX Series.
Timeline
ID reserved
By juniper
- 11 months later
· 11 months later
Published
- 6 years later
· 6 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| juniperCNA (assigner) | 3.0 | Critical9.8 | CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.0 | High8.1 | CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 1.3% · top 28% of all CVEs (9 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Critical 9.8.
Affected products
- affected 18.1 – < 18.1R4
What to do
Solution: PermitEmptyPasswords option has been set to no by default in the fixed versions of Junos OS. The following software releases have been updated to resolve this specific issue: 18.1R4, 18.2R1 and all subsequent releases.
Workaround: Ensure all the accounts on the JDM and host OS are configured with a password.
Workaround: Ensure that /etc/ssh/sshd_config file on JDM and host OS have the configuration PermitEmptyPasswords no
Exploitation: Juniper SIRT is not aware of any malicious exploitation of this vulnerability.
References
2
- https://kb.juniper.net/JSA10878 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- 105565 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2018-0868 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2018-0044)Record last updated .