Junos OS: NFX Series: 'set system ports console insecure' allows root password recovery

Summary

An Improper Link Resolution Before File Access vulnerability in console port access of Juniper Networks Junos OS on NFX Series allows an attacker to bypass console access controls. When "set system ports console insecure" is enabled, root login is disallowed for Junos OS as expected. However, the root password can be changed using "set system root-authentication plain-text-password" on NFX Series systems, leading to a possible administrative bypass with physical access to the console. Password recovery, changing the root password from a console, should not have been allowed from an insecure console. This is similar to the vulnerability described in CVE-2019-0035 but affects different platforms and in turn requires a different fix. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS on NFX Series: 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R3-S7; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R3-S8; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R3-S12; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3-S8; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R3-S7; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S5; 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S4; 21.3 versions prior to 21.3R3-S3; 21.4 versions prior to 21.4R3-S2; 22.1 versions prior to 22.1R3-S1; 22.2 versions prior to 22.2R2-S1, 22.2R3; 22.3 versions prior to 22.3R1-S2, 22.3R2.

Timeline

1. Apr 17, 2023, 12:00 AM UTCCVE published
2. Feb 12, 2025, 6:59 PM UTCCISA SSVC assessment

   Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: partial

3. Feb 26, 2025, 7:20 PM UTCRecord last updated

Affected versions

• Juniper Networks Junos OS

  From 19.2 · fixed in 19.2R3-S7; From 19.3 · fixed in 19.3R3-S8; From 19.4 · fixed in 19.4R3-S12; From 20.2 · fixed in 20.2R3-S8; From 20.4 · fixed in 20.4R3-S7; From 21.1 · fixed in 21.1R3-S5; From 21.2 · fixed in 21.2R3-S4; From 21.3 · fixed in 21.3R3-S3; From 21.4 · fixed in 21.4R3-S2; From 22.1 · fixed in 22.1R3-S1

References 1