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CVE Record

CVE-2020-1617: Junos OS: PTX1000 and PTX10000 Series, QFX10000 Series using non-AFT architectures: A specific genuine packet inspected by sFlow will cause a reboot.

This issue occurs on Juniper Networks Junos OS devices which do not support Advanced Forwarding Interface (AFI) / Advanced Forwarding Toolkit (AFT). Devices using AFI and AFT are not exploitable to this issue. An improper initialization of memory in the packet forwarding architecture in Juniper Networks Junos OS non-AFI/AFT platforms which may lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability being exploited when a genuine packet is received and inspected by non-AFT/AFI sFlow and when the device is also configured with firewall policers. This first genuine packet received and inspected by sampled flow (sFlow) through a specific firewall policer will cause the device to reboot. After the reboot has completed, if the device receives and sFlow inspects another genuine packet seen through a specific firewall policer, the device will generate a core file and reboot. Continued inspection of these genuine packets will create an extended Denial of Service (DoS) condition. Depending on the method for service restoration, e.g. hard boot or soft reboot, a core file may or may not be generated the next time the packet is received and inspected by sFlow. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S9, 17.4R3 on PTX1000 and PTX10000 Series, QFX10000 Series; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S9 on PTX1000 and PTX10000 Series, QFX10000 Series; 18.2X75 versions prior to 18.2X75-D12, 18.2X75-D30 on PTX1000 and PTX10000 Series, QFX10000 Series; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3 on PTX1000 and PTX10000 Series, QFX10000 Series; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3 on PTX1000 and PTX10000 Series, QFX10000 Series. This issue is not applicable to Junos OS versions before 17.4R1. This issue is not applicable to Junos OS Evolved or Junos OS with Advanced Forwarding Toolkit (AFT) forwarding implementations which use a different implementation of sFlow. The following example information is unrelated to this issue and is provided solely to assist you with determining if you have AFT or not. Example: A Junos OS device which supports the use of EVPN signaled VPWS with Flexible Cross Connect uses the AFT implementation. Since this configuration requires support and use of the AFT implementation to support this configuration, the device is not vulnerable to this issue as the sFlow implementation is different using the AFT architecture. For further details about AFT visit the AFI / AFT are in the links below. If you are uncertain if you use the AFI/AFT implementation or not, there are configuration examples in the links below which you may use to determine if you are vulnerable to this issue or not. If the commands work, you are. If not, you are not. You may also use the Feature Explorer to determine if AFI/AFT is supported or not. If you are still uncertain, please contact your support resources.

HighCVSS 7.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Certain Juniper PTX1000, PTX10000, and QFX10000 devices can reboot when they inspect particular normal traffic with sFlow while firewall policers are configured. Repeated triggering can cause an extended network outage. This is an availability issue, not a data theft or integrity issue.

Executive priority

Treat this as a high-priority resilience issue for core or edge Juniper routing and switching infrastructure. It can interrupt service without credential theft or user interaction, so remediation should align with network maintenance windows and business-critical traffic paths.

Technical view

CVE-2020-1617 is an improper memory initialization flaw in Junos OS non-AFI/AFT forwarding architectures. A genuine packet inspected by non-AFI/AFT sFlow through a specific firewall policer can reboot the device and may generate core files on repeated occurrence. Junos OS Evolved and AFT forwarding implementations are stated as not affected.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to Junos OS 17.4, 18.1, 18.2X75, 18.2, and 18.3 on named PTX/QFX platforms without AFI/AFT, where sFlow and firewall policers are in use.

Exploitation context

The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. The CVSS vector is network, low complexity, no authentication, no user interaction, with high availability impact.

Researcher notes

The key exposure condition is not just product and version; it also requires non-AFI/AFT architecture plus sFlow inspection and firewall policers. Evidence in the bundle does not identify public exploitation, exploit tooling, or a workaround beyond vendor guidance and fixed releases.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade affected Junos OS devices to the fixed releases identified by Juniper.
  • Prioritize PTX1000, PTX10000, and QFX10000 systems running sFlow with firewall policers.
  • Use Juniper guidance to determine whether AFI/AFT forwarding is present.
  • If upgrade timing is unclear, consult Juniper support for supported remediation options.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Junos OS versions on PTX1000, PTX10000, and QFX10000 platforms.
  • Confirm whether each device uses AFI/AFT or non-AFI/AFT forwarding.
  • Review configurations for sFlow and firewall policers on affected devices.
  • Check operational logs for unexpected reboots or related core files.
  • Map findings against Juniper advisory JSA11000 fixed-release guidance.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
5

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-665: Exact CWE lookup

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2020-1617 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.5CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.5High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2020-1617Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
Juniper NetworksJunos OS17.4, 18.1, 18.2X75, 18.2, 18.3Listed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-665 · source CWE mapping

Improper Initialization

Improper Initialization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.