CVE-2023-44182Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: An Unchecked Return Value in multiple users interfaces affects confidentiality and integrity of device operations

Description

An Unchecked Return Value vulnerability in the user interfaces to the Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved, the CLI, the XML API, the XML Management Protocol, the NETCONF Management Protocol, the gNMI interfaces, and the J-Web User Interfaces causes unintended effects such as demotion or elevation of privileges associated with an operators actions to occur. Multiple scenarios may occur; for example: privilege escalation over the device or another account, access to files that should not otherwise be accessible, files not being accessible where they should be accessible, code expected to run as non-root may run as root, and so forth. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS * All versions prior to 20.4R3-S7; * 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S5; * 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S5; * 21.3 versions prior to 21.3R3-S4; * 21.4 versions prior to 21.4R3-S3; * 22.1 versions prior to 22.1R3-S2; * 22.2 versions prior to 22.2R2-S2, 22.2R3; * 22.3 versions prior to 22.3R1-S2, 22.3R2. Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved * All versions prior to 21.4R3-S3-EVO; * 22.1-EVO version 22.1R1-EVO and later versions prior to 22.2R2-S2-EVO, 22.2R3-EVO; * 22.3-EVO versions prior to 22.3R1-S2-EVO, 22.3R2-EVO.

Timeline

Scores

EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)

0.70% · top 46% of all CVEs (13 Nov 2026)

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total

The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.3.

Affected products

• Juniper Networks · Junos OS

  • affected < 20.4R3-S7
  • affected 21.1 – < 21.1R3-S5
  • affected 21.2 – < 21.2R3-S5
  • affected 21.3 – < 21.3R3-S4
  • affected 21.4 – < 21.4R3-S3
  • affected 22.1 – < 22.1R3-S2
  • affected 22.2 – < 22.2R2-S2, 22.2R3
  • affected 22.3 – < 22.3R1-S2, 22.3R2

• Juniper Networks · Junos OS Evolved

  • affected < 21.4R3-S3-EVO
  • affected 22.1R1-EVO – < 22.1*-EVO
  • affected 22.2-EVO – < 22.2R2-S2-EVO, 22.2R3-EVO
  • affected 22.3-EVO – < 22.3R1-S2-EVO, 22.3R2-EVO

What to do

Solution: The following software releases have been updated to resolve this specific issue: Junos OS: 20.4R3-S7, 21.1R3-S5, 21.2R3-S4, 21.2R3-S5, 21.3R3-S4, 21.4R3-S3, 22.1R3-S2, 22.2R2-S2, 22.2R3, 22.3R1-S2, 22.3R2, 22.3R3, 22.4R1, and all subsequent releases. Junos OS Evolved: 21.4R3-S3-EVO, 22.2R2-S2-EVO, 22.2R3-EVO, 22.3R1-S2-EVO, 22.3R2-EVO, 22.4R1-EVO, and all subsequent releases.

Workaround: There are no known workarounds for this issue. Methods that may reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of exploitation of these problems, and which do not mitigate or resolve the underlying problems include: • Discontinuing the use of any unnecessary administrative interfaces to the system • Using access lists or firewall filters to limit access to the device only from trusted users, hosts, and networks • Limiting the number of changes performed to a device through administrative interfaces • Reducing the frequency of unique telemetry events

Exploitation: Juniper SIRT is not aware of any malicious exploitation of this vulnerability.

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-2023-48541 (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

[![CVE-2023-44182](https://cveledger.app/badge/CVE-2023-44182.svg)](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2023-44182)

Record last updated 27 Feb 2025, 20:41 UTC.