CVE-2019-0062 in Junos
Summary
by MITRE
A session fixation vulnerability in J-Web on Junos OS may allow an attacker to use social engineering techniques to fix and hijack a J-Web administrators web session and potentially gain administrative access to the device. This issue affects: Juniper Networks Junos OS 12.3 versions prior to 12.3R12-S15 on EX Series; 12.3X48 versions prior to 12.3X48-D85 on SRX Series; 14.1X53 versions prior to 14.1X53-D51; 15.1 versions prior to 15.1F6-S13, 15.1R7-S5; 15.1X49 versions prior to 15.1X49-D180 on SRX Series; 15.1X53 versions prior to 15.1X53-D238; 16.1 versions prior to 16.1R4-S13, 16.1R7-S5; 16.2 versions prior to 16.2R2-S10; 17.1 versions prior to 17.1R3-S1; 17.2 versions prior to 17.2R2-S8, 17.2R3-S3; 17.3 versions prior to 17.3R3-S5; 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S8, 17.4R3; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S8; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R1-S2, 19.1R2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/05/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-0062 represents a critical session fixation flaw within J-Web, the web-based management interface of Junos OS operating systems. This security weakness stems from the improper handling of session identifiers during the authentication process, creating opportunities for malicious actors to exploit the system through social engineering tactics. The vulnerability specifically targets administrative web sessions, making it particularly dangerous as it could potentially grant unauthorized access to critical network infrastructure. The issue affects a wide range of Juniper Networks devices including EX Series switches, SRX Series firewalls, and various Junos OS versions across multiple release branches, demonstrating the widespread nature of the flaw.
Session fixation vulnerabilities occur when an application fails to generate new session identifiers upon successful authentication, instead allowing the use of pre-existing session tokens. In the context of J-Web, this means that an attacker who can obtain a valid session token can potentially reuse it to hijack administrative sessions, bypassing normal authentication mechanisms. The vulnerability's exploitation requires social engineering techniques as the attacker must somehow convince a legitimate administrator to use a predetermined session token, typically through phishing emails, malicious links, or other deceptive methods. This approach makes the attack more sophisticated than simple brute force or credential stuffing attacks, as it relies on human factors rather than purely technical exploitation methods.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it could enable attackers to perform administrative actions on network devices, potentially leading to complete network compromise. Attackers could modify firewall rules, change routing configurations, disable security features, or even install malicious software on the affected devices. The affected versions span multiple Junos OS releases, indicating that the flaw was present across a significant timeframe and affected numerous network deployments. Organizations running vulnerable versions of Juniper hardware face substantial risk, as network administrators who authenticate through J-Web are particularly vulnerable to this type of attack, especially in environments where administrators frequently access devices through web interfaces.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-384, which specifically addresses session fixation issues in web applications. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts with administrative privileges, as successful exploitation would result in attackers gaining administrative access to network devices. The vulnerability's presence in multiple SRX Series and EX Series devices indicates that it affects critical network infrastructure components that serve as gateways and switches within enterprise networks. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the relevant Juniper security patches, which address the session management flaw by ensuring proper session token regeneration upon authentication. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation, monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns, and conducting security awareness training for administrators to recognize social engineering attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure session management practices in web-based administrative interfaces, as proper implementation of session handling mechanisms would prevent attackers from reusing session identifiers.