HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2024-39542
HIGH

CVE-2024-39542

CWE-1286Published: July 11, 2024· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An Improper Validation of Syntactic Correctness of Input vulnerability in the Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) of Juniper Networks Junos OS on MX Series with MPC10/11 or LC9600, MX304, and Junos OS Evolved on ACX Series and PTX Series allows an unauthenticated, network based attacker to cause a Denial-of-Service (DoS).

This issue can occur in two scenarios:

1. If a device, which is configured with SFLOW and ECMP, receives specific valid transit traffic, which is subject to sampling, the packetio process crashes, which in turn leads to an evo-aftman crash and causes the FPC to stop working until it is restarted. (This scenario is only applicable to PTX but not to ACX or MX.)

2. If a device receives a malformed CFM packet on an interface configured with CFM, the packetio process crashes, which in turn leads to an evo-aftman crash and causes the FPC to stop working until it is restarted. Please note that the CVSS score is for the formally more severe issue 1.

The CVSS score for scenario 2. is: 6.5 (CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H)

This issue affects Junos OS:

* All versions before 21.2R3-S4,

* 21.4 versions before 21.4R2,

* 22.2 versions before 22.2R3-S2; 

Junos OS Evolved:

* All versions before 21.2R3-S8-EVO,

* 21.4 versions before 21.4R2-EVO.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2024-39542 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Juniper Networks2 product(s)
junosjunos os evolved
Source: NVD CPE · 4 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

All References (2)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2024-39542
CVSS Score7.5 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-1286
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedJul 11, 2024

Related CVEs (CWE-1286)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2024-39542 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.