# CVE-2020-1669: Junos OS: NFX350: Password hashes stored in world-readable format

> Local attackers can read world-readable password hashes on Juniper NFX350 devices, enabling offline brute-force attacks against user credentials.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 16 Oct 2020
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9pj7-q8h3-hrhp

## What is CVE-2020-1669?

CVE-2020-1669 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Juniper Junos, published on 16 Oct 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Juniper Device Manager (JDM) container, used by the disaggregated Junos OS architecture on Juniper Networks NFX350 Series devices, stores password hashes in the world-readable file /etc/passwd. This is not a security best current practice as it can allow an attacker with access to the local filesystem the ability to brute-force decrypt password hashes stored on the system. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS on NFX350: 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R3; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R1-S4, 20.1R2.

Weakness: CWE-522 (Insufficiently Protected Credentials), CWE-256 (Plaintext Storage of a Password)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1669?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Juniper Junos.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-1669?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-1669 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-1669 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1669 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Juniper Junos

- [CVE-2023-36845](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36845/): Juniper Junos OS EX Series and SRX Series PHP External Variable Modification (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-1631](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1631/): Juniper Junos OS Path Traversal (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-21590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21590/): Juniper Junos OS Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization (medium 6.7, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-36851](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36851/): Juniper Junos OS SRX Series Missing Authentication for Critical Function (medium 5.3, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-36844](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36844/): Juniper Junos OS EX Series PHP External Variable Modification (medium 5.3, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-1669 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-1669 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Juniper Junos, published on 16 Oct 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1669 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Juniper Junos. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1669/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1669/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1669
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1669
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1669

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1669/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.