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Full vulnerability report · 2020
CVE-2020-1656High confidence

Junos OS: When a DHCPv6 Relay-Agent is configured upon receipt of a specific DHCPv6 client message, Remote Code Execution may occur.

Juniper Networks · Junos OS

8.8HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Select the national-authority views to include. The exact source language is shown on each matched advisory. Your choice is remembered on this device and encoded in the shareable URL.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2020-12521

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

The DHCPv6 Relay-Agent service, part of the Juniper Enhanced jdhcpd daemon shipped with Juniper Networks Junos OS has an Improper Input Validation vulnerability which will result in a Denial of Service (DoS) condition when a DHCPv6 client sends a specific DHPCv6 message allowing an attacker to potentially perform a Remote Code Execution (RCE) attack on the target device. Continuous receipt of the specific DHCPv6 client message will result in an extended Denial of Service (DoS) condition. If adjacent devices are also configured to relay DHCP packets, and are not affected by this issue and simply transparently forward unprocessed client DHCPv6 messages, then the attack vector can be a Network-based attack, instead of an Adjacent-device attack. No other DHCP services are affected. Receipt of the packet without configuration of the DHCPv6 Relay-Agent service, will not result in exploitability of this issue. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: 12.3 versions prior to 12.3R12-S15; 12.3X48 versions prior to 12.3X48-D95; 14.1X53 versions prior to 14.1X53-D53; 15.1 versions prior to 15.1R7-S6; 15.1X49 versions prior to 15.1X49-D200; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D593; 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R7-S7; 16.2 versions prior to 16.2R2-S11; 17.1 versions prior to 17.1R2-S11, 17.1R3-S2; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R3-S3; 17.2X75 versions prior to 17.2X75-D44; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S7; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S9, 17.4R3; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S9; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R2-S6, 18.2R3-S2; 18.2X75 versions prior to 18.2X75-D12, 18.2X75-D33, 18.2X75-D435, 18.2X75-D60; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R1-S7, 18.3R2-S3, 18.3R3-S1; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R1-S5, 18.4R2-S3, 18.4R3; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R1-S4, 19.1R2; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S3, 19.2R2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2.

What

The DHCPv6 Relay-Agent service, part of the Juniper Enhanced jdhcpd daemon shipped with Juniper Networks Junos OS has an Improper Input Validation vulnerability which will result in a Denial of Service (DoS) condition when a DHCPv6 client sends a specific DHPCv6 message allowing an attacker to potentially perform a Remote Code Execution (RCE) attack on the target device. Continuous receipt of the specific DHCPv6 client message will result in an extended Denial of Service (DoS) condition. If adjacent devices are also configured to relay DHCP packets, and are not affected by this issue and simply transparently forward unprocessed client DHCPv6 messages, then the attack vector can be a Network-based attack, instead of an Adjacent-device attack. No other DHCP services are affected. Receipt of the packet without configuration of the DHCPv6 Relay-Agent service, will not result in exploitability of this issue. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: 12.3 versions prior to 12.3R12-S15; 12.3X48 versions prior to 12.3X48-D95; 14.1X53 versions prior to 14.1X53-D53; 15.1 versions prior to 15.1R7-S6; 15.1X49 versions prior to 15.1X49-D200; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D593; 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R7-S7; 16.2 versions prior to 16.2R2-S11; 17.1 versions prior to 17.1R2-S11, 17.1R3-S2; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R3-S3; 17.2X75 versions prior to 17.2X75-D44; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S7; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S9, 17.4R3; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S9; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R2-S6, 18.2R3-S2; 18.2X75 versions prior to 18.2X75-D12, 18.2X75-D33, 18.2X75-D435, 18.2X75-D60; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R1-S7, 18.3R2-S3, 18.3R3-S1; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R1-S5, 18.4R2-S3, 18.4R3; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R1-S4, 19.1R2; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S3, 19.2R2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2.

Why

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.

How

An attacker operating through an adjacent network may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

What

The DHCPv6 Relay-Agent service, part of the Juniper Enhanced jdhcpd daemon shipped with Juniper Networks Junos OS has an Improper Input Validation vulnerability which will result in a Denial of Service (DoS) condition when a DHCPv6 client sends a specific DHPCv6 message allowing an attacker to potentially perform a Remote Code Execution (RCE) attack on the target device. Continuous receipt of the specific DHCPv6 client message will result in an extended Denial of Service (DoS) condition. If adjacent devices are also configured to relay DHCP packets, and are not affected by this issue and simply transparently forward unprocessed client DHCPv6 messages, then the attack vector can be a Network-based attack, instead of an Adjacent-device attack. No other DHCP services are affected. Receipt of the packet without configuration of the DHCPv6 Relay-Agent service, will not result in exploitability of this issue. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: 12.3 versions prior to 12.3R12-S15; 12.3X48 versions prior to 12.3X48-D95; 14.1X53 versions prior to 14.1X53-D53; 15.1 versions prior to 15.1R7-S6; 15.1X49 versions prior to 15.1X49-D200; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D593; 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R7-S7; 16.2 versions prior to 16.2R2-S11; 17.1 versions prior to 17.1R2-S11, 17.1R3-S2; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R3-S3; 17.2X75 versions prior to 17.2X75-D44; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S7; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S9, 17.4R3; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S9; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R2-S6, 18.2R3-S2; 18.2X75 versions prior to 18.2X75-D12, 18.2X75-D33, 18.2X75-D435, 18.2X75-D60; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R1-S7, 18.3R2-S3, 18.3R3-S1; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R1-S5, 18.4R2-S3, 18.4R3; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R1-S4, 19.1R2; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S3, 19.2R2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2.

Why

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.

How

An attacker operating through an adjacent network may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
an adjacent network → NULL Pointer Dereference → execute code or commands in the affected security context
Attack surface
Adjacent
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-476

CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference. The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVAdjacentAttack vector: The attacker must be on an adjacent or logically close network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.
UnauthenticatedRemote code executionDenial of serviceCWE-476
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2020-AVI-645Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits Juniper

e.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-16168 Référence CVE CVE-2019-5018 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-5018 Référence CVE CVE-2019-5599 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-5599 Référence CVE CVE-2019-5610 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-5610 Référence CVE CVE-2019-6593 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-6593 Référence CVE CVE-2019-8457 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-8457 Référence CVE CVE-2019-9936 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-9936 Référence CVE CVE-2019-9937 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-9937 Référence CVE CVE-2020-10188 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-10188 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1656 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1656 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1657 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1657 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1660 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1660 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1661 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1661 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1662 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1662 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1665 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1665 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1682 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1682 Référence CVE CVE-2020-7450 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-7450 Gestion détaillée du document le 15 octobre 2020 Version initiale Alertes Avi

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
Junos OS: 12.3 < 12.3R12-S15, 12.3X48 < 12.3X48-D95, 14.1X53 < 14.1X53-D53, 15.1 < 15.1R7-S6, 15.1X49 < 15.1X49-D200, 15.1X53 < 15.1X53-D593, 16.1 < 16.1R7-S7, 16.2 < 16.2R2-S11, 17.1 < 17.1R2-S11, 17.1R3-S2, 17.2 < 17.2R3-S3, 17.2X75 < 17.2X75-D44, 17.3 < 17.3R3-S7, 17.4 < 17.4R2-S9, 17.4R3, 18.1 < 18.1R3-S9, 18.2 < 18.2R2-S6, 18.2R3-S2, 18.2X75 < 18.2X75-D12, 18.2X75-D33, 18.2X75-D435, 18.2X75-D60, 18.3 < 18.3R1-S7, 18.3R2-S3, 18.3R3-S1, 18.4 < 18.4R1-S5, 18.4R2-S3, 18.4R3, 19.1 < 19.1R1-S4, 19.1R2, 19.2 < 19.2R1-S3, 19.2R2, 19.3 < 19.3R2
Fixed
The following software releases have been updated to resolve this specific issue: Junos OS 12.3R12-S15, 12.3X48-D100, 12.3X48-D95, 14.1X53-D53, 15.1R7-S6, 15.1X49-D200, 15.1X53-D593, 16.1R7-S7, 16.2R2-S11, 17.1R2-S11, 17.1R3-S2, 17.2R3-S3, 17.2X75-D44, 17.3R3-S7, 17.4R2-S9, 17.4R3, 18.1R3-S9, 18.2R2-S6, 18.2R3-S2, 18.2X75-D12, 18.2X75-D33, 18.2X75-D435, 18.2X75-D60, 18.3R1-S7, 18.3R2-S3, 18.3R3-S1, 18.4R1-S5, 18.4R2-S3, 18.4R3, 19.1R1-S4, 19.1R2, 19.1R3, 19.2R1-S3, 19.2R2, 19.4R1, and all subsequent releases.
Action
Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 16 Oct 2020 · Last source change 17 Sept 2024, 04:14 UTC · CWE-476 · NULL Pointer Dereference

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2020-12521
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗

No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.

Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2020-1656 · cve.blacktree.nl