# CVE-2023-44190: Junos OS Evolved: PTX10001, PTX10004, PTX10008, PTX10016: MAC address validation bypass vulnerability

> Network-adjacent attackers can bypass MAC validation on Juniper PTX routers, causing traffic loops and downstream network congestion.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 11 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 18 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2xg8-857g-4j2x

## What is CVE-2023-44190?

CVE-2023-44190 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Juniper Junos Os Evolved, published on 11 Oct 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An Origin Validation vulnerability in MAC address validation of Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved on PTX10001, PTX10004, PTX10008, and PTX10016 devices allows a network-adjacent attacker to bypass MAC address checking, allowing MAC addresses not intended to reach the adjacent LAN to be forwarded to the downstream network. Due to this issue, the router will start forwarding traffic if a valid route is present in forwarding-table, causing a loop and congestion in the downstream layer-2 domain connected to the device.

This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved on PTX10001, PTX10004, PTX10008, and PTX10016:

  *  All versions prior to 21.4R3-S5-EVO;
  *  22.1 versions prior to 22.1R3-S4-EVO;
  *  22.2 versions 22.2R1-EVO and later;
  *  22.3 versions prior to 22.3R2-S2-EVO, 22.3R3-S1-EVO;
  *  22.4 versions prior to 22.4R2-S1-EVO, 22.4R3-EVO;
  *  23.2 versions prior to 23.2R1-S1-EVO, 23.2R2-EVO.

Weakness: CWE-346 (Origin Validation Error)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-44190?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Juniper Junos Os Evolved.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-44190?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-44190 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-44190 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-44190 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Juniper Junos Os Evolved

- [CVE-2026-21902](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-21902/): Junos OS Evolved: PTX Series: A vulnerability allows a unauthenticated, network-based attacker to execute code as root (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2023-28983](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28983/): Junos OS Evolved: Shell Injection vulnerability in the gNOI server (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2025-21599](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21599/): Denial of service in Junos OS Evolved (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2024-47502](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-47502/): Junos OS Evolved: TCP session state is not always cleared on the Routing Engine leading to DoS (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2024-39531](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-39531/): Junos OS Evolved: ACX 7000 Series: Protocol specific DDoS configuration affects other protocols (high 8.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-44190 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-44190 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Juniper Junos Os Evolved, published on 11 Oct 2023. 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-2023-44190 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Juniper Junos Os Evolved. 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-2023-44190/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-44190/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-44190
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-44190
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-44190

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-44190/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.