# CVE-2021-0280: Denial of service in Junos OS > Attackers can cause network instability and denial of service by sending specific packets that trigger BFD session flaps due to improper DDoS policer initialization. - **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Not needed - **Attackable:** Over the internet - **Victim action needed:** Not needed - **Fix available:** No - **Published:** 15 Jul 2021 - **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024 - **Also known as:** GHSA-x62x-rrwg-5j4p ## What is CVE-2021-0280? CVE-2021-0280 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Juniper Junos, published on 15 Jul 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. ### Official description Due to an Improper Initialization vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS on PTX platforms and QFX10K Series with Paradise (PE) chipset-based line cards, ddos-protection configuration changes made from the CLI will not take effect as expected beyond the default DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) settings in the Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE). This may cause BFD sessions to flap when a high rate of specific packets are received. Flapping of BFD sessions in turn may impact routing protocols and network stability, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS) condition. Continued receipt and processing of this packet will create a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. This issue affects only the following platforms with Paradise (PE) chipset-based line cards: PTX1000, PTX3000 (NextGen), PTX5000, PTX10008, PTX10016 Series and QFX10002 Series. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R3-S5 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3-S8 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S5 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S8 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R3-S5 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R3-S2 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R3-S2 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R3-S2 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R3 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R2-S3, 20.2R3 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R2 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R2 on PTX Series, QFX10K Series. Weakness: CWE-665 (Improper Initialization) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-0280? It affects 1 product. Products: Juniper Junos. ## How do I fix CVE-2021-0280? No fix has been published for CVE-2021-0280 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. ## Is CVE-2021-0280 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-0280 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-2021-0280 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2021-0280 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Juniper Junos, published on 15 Jul 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-0280 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-2021-0280/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-0280/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-0280 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-0280 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-0280 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-0280/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.