CVE-2019-0035
Junos OS: 'set system ports console insecure' allows root password recovery on OAM volumes
- 6.8MediumCVSS base score
- 0.40%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 65% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
When "set system ports console insecure" is enabled, root login is disallowed for Junos OS as expected. However, the root password can be changed using "set system root-authentication plain-text-password" on systems booted from an OAM (Operations, Administration, and Maintenance) volume, leading to a possible administrative bypass with physical access to the console. OAM volumes (e.g. flash drives) are typically instantiated as /dev/gpt/oam, or /oam for short. Password recovery, changing the root password from a console, should not have been allowed from an insecure console. Affected releases are Juniper Networks Junos OS: 15.1 versions prior to 15.1F6-S12, 15.1R7-S3; 15.1X49 versions prior to 15.1X49-D160; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D236, 15.1X53-D496, 15.1X53-D68; 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R3-S10, 16.1R6-S6, 16.1R7-S3; 16.1X65 versions prior to 16.1X65-D49; 16.2 versions prior to 16.2R2-S8; 17.1 versions prior to 17.1R2-S10, 17.1R3; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R1-S8, 17.2R3-S1; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S3; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R1-S6, 17.4R2-S2; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R2-S4, 18.1R3-S3; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R2; 18.2X75 versions prior to 18.2X75-D40; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R1-S2. This issue does not affect Junos OS releases prior to 15.1.
Timeline
ID reserved
By juniper
- 6 months later
· 6 months later
Published
- 5 years later
· 5 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 | Medium6.8 | CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.1 | Medium6.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.40% · top 65% of all CVEs (11 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Medium 6.8.
Affected products
- affected 15.1 – < 15.1F6-S12, 15.1R7-S3
- affected 15.1X49 – < 15.1X49-D160
- affected 15.1X53 – < 15.1X53-D236, 15.1X53-D496, 15.1X53-D68
- affected 16.1 – < 16.1R3-S10, 16.1R6-S6, 16.1R7-S3
- affected 16.1X65 – < 16.1X65-D49
- affected 16.2 – < 16.2R2-S8
- affected 17.1 – < 17.1R2-S10, 17.1R3
- affected 17.2 – < 17.2R1-S8, 17.2R3-S1
- affected 17.3 – < 17.3R3-S3
- affected 17.4 – < 17.4R1-S6, 17.4R2-S2
- affected 18.1 – < 18.1R2-S4, 18.1R3-S3
- affected 18.2 – < 18.2R2
- affected 18.2X75 – < 18.2X75-D40
- affected 18.3 – < 18.3R1-S2
- unaffected all – < 15.1
What to do
Solution: The following software releases have been updated to resolve this specific issue: Junos OS 15.1F6-S12, 15.1R7-S3, 15.1X49-D160, 15.1X53-D236, 15.1X53-D496, 15.1X53-D68, 16.1R3-S10, 16.1R6-S6, 16.1R7-S3, 16.1X65-D49, 16.2R2-S8, 17.1R2-S10, 17.1R3, 17.2R1-S8, 17.2R3-S1, 17.3R3-S3, 17.4R1-S6, 17.4R2-S2, 18.1R2-S4, 18.1R3-S3, 18.2R2, 18.2X75-D40, 18.3R1-S2, 18.4R1, and all subsequent releases.
Workaround: Limit physical access to the recovery console to only trusted administrators.
Exploitation: Juniper SIRT is not aware of any malicious exploitation of this vulnerability.
References
References1
- https://kb.juniper.net/JSA10924 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_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-2019-0842 (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-2019-0035)Record last updated .