CVE-2014-0617 in Junos
Summary
by MITRE
Juniper Junos 10.4S before 10.4S15, 10.4R before 10.4R16, 11.4 before 11.4R9, and 12.1R before 12.1R7 on SRX Series service gateways allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (flowd crash) via a crafted IP packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/09/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0617 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting Juniper Junos operating system versions on SRX Series service gateways. This issue specifically impacts multiple release branches including 10.4S before 10.4S15, 10.4R before 10.4R16, 11.4 before 11.4R9, and 12.1R before 12.1R7, creating widespread exposure across numerous network security devices. The flaw manifests when the flowd daemon crashes in response to specially crafted IP packets, effectively disrupting network traffic flow and service availability. This vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-119 Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer, as it involves the manipulation of memory operations through malformed packet construction.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the careful construction of IP packets that trigger a buffer overflow or memory corruption condition within the flowd process. When the SRX device receives these crafted packets, the flowd daemon becomes unstable and terminates unexpectedly, leading to a complete denial of service condition. The attack vector is entirely remote, requiring no authentication or physical access to the device, making it particularly dangerous in network environments where security devices are exposed to untrusted traffic. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 Network Denial of Service, as it specifically targets network availability by causing service disruption through daemon crashes.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0617 extends beyond simple service interruption, as it compromises the fundamental security posture of network infrastructure. When the flowd daemon crashes, the device loses its ability to properly track and manage network flows, potentially creating gaps in security monitoring and traffic analysis capabilities. This disruption affects not only the immediate availability of the device but also undermines the broader network security architecture that depends on consistent flow tracking for threat detection and policy enforcement. Organizations running affected Juniper SRX devices face significant risk of unauthorized network disruption, potentially allowing attackers to create persistent denial of service conditions that could be exploited for more sophisticated attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Junos versions to the recommended secure releases. Network administrators should prioritize updating their SRX Series devices to versions 10.4S15, 10.4R16, 11.4R9, or 12.1R7 respectively, as these releases contain the necessary code fixes to prevent the flowd daemon crash. Additionally, implementing network access control lists to filter suspicious IP traffic and monitoring for unusual flowd process behavior can provide defensive measures while patches are deployed. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular security maintenance and the need for organizations to maintain current patch management procedures to protect against known exploits targeting network infrastructure components.