CVE-2020-1618 Junos OS: EX and QFX Series: Console port authentication bypass vulnerability
An attacker with physical console access can bypass authentication to gain root privileges on Juniper EX and QFX switches under specific reboot conditions.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2020-1618?
CVE-2020-1618 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Juniper Junos, published on 8 Apr 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
On Juniper Networks EX and QFX Series, an authentication bypass vulnerability may allow a user connected to the console port to login as root without any password. This issue might only occur in certain scenarios: • At the first reboot after performing device factory reset using the command “request system zeroize”; or • A temporary moment during the first reboot after the software upgrade when the device configured in Virtual Chassis mode. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS on EX and QFX Series: 14.1X53 versions prior to 14.1X53-D53; 15.1 versions prior to 15.1R7-S4; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D593; 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R7-S4; 17.1 versions prior to 17.1R2-S11, 17.1R3-S1; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R3-S3; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R2-S5, 17.3R3-S6; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S9, 17.4R3; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S8; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R2; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R1-S7, 18.3R2. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS 12.3.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1618?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Juniper Junos.
How do I fix CVE-2020-1618?
No fix has been published for CVE-2020-1618 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and rotate credentials and sessions that may have been exposed. More about Authentication bypass.
Is CVE-2020-1618 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1618 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Juniper Junos
- CVE-2023-36845 Juniper Junos OS EX Series and SRX Series PHP External Variable Modification
- CVE-2020-1631 Juniper Junos OS Path Traversal
- CVE-2025-21590 Juniper Junos OS Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization
- CVE-2023-36851 Juniper Junos OS SRX Series Missing Authentication for Critical Function
- CVE-2023-36844 Juniper Junos OS EX Series PHP External Variable Modification
Sources
Also known as GHSA-2r53-mrx4-q6h9.