CVE-2022-22166 in Junos OS
Summary
by MITRE • 01/19/2022
An Improper Validation of Specified Quantity in Input vulnerability in the routing protocol daemon (rpd) of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated networked attacker to cause an rdp crash and thereby a Denial of Service (DoS). If a BGP update message is received over an established BGP session where a BGP SR-TE policy tunnel attribute is malformed and BGP update tracing flag is enabled, the rpd will core. This issue can happen with any BGP session as long as the previous conditions are met. This issue can not propagate as the crash occurs as soon as the malformed update is received. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS: 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R3-S1; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R2-S2, 21.1R3. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 20.4R1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/20/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2022-22166 represents a critical improper validation of specified quantity in input flaw within Juniper Networks Junos OS routing protocol daemon (rpd). This issue specifically targets the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) implementation where the rpd process fails to properly validate the quantity specified in BGP Segment Routing Traffic Engineering (SR-TE) policy tunnel attributes. The vulnerability exists in the handling of BGP update messages, particularly when these messages contain malformed SR-TE policy tunnel attributes while BGP update tracing is enabled. The flaw demonstrates a classic input validation weakness that allows an attacker to manipulate the routing daemon's behavior through carefully crafted network traffic.
The technical execution of this vulnerability requires an attacker to establish a BGP session with a targeted Junos OS device and subsequently send a malformed BGP update message containing invalid SR-TE policy tunnel attributes. When the rpd process receives this malformed update and the BGP update tracing flag is enabled, it triggers an immediate crash resulting in a core dump. This behavior aligns with CWE-20 Improper Input Validation, where insufficient validation of input parameters leads to system instability. The vulnerability's impact is confined to a single process crash without propagation capabilities, meaning the attacker cannot use this vulnerability to gain further access or execute arbitrary code on the device.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-22166 manifests as a denial of service condition that completely disrupts the routing functionality of affected Junos OS devices. Network availability is compromised as the rpd daemon becomes unavailable, causing the device to lose its ability to process routing updates and maintain BGP sessions. This creates cascading effects throughout the network infrastructure, potentially leading to routing black holes or significant service disruption. The vulnerability affects specific version ranges including 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R3-S1, 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R2-S2, and 21.1R3, while versions prior to 20.4R1 remain unaffected. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004 Network Denial of Service and T1595.001 Network Denial of Service, representing a service disruption attack that affects network infrastructure availability.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve implementing the security patches released by Juniper Networks for the affected versions. Organizations should prioritize upgrading their Junos OS installations to the patched versions, specifically 20.4R3-S1, 21.1R2-S2, and 21.1R3. Additionally, network administrators can implement temporary workarounds such as disabling BGP update tracing functionality when it is not required, or restricting BGP sessions to trusted networks only. The vulnerability does not permit privilege escalation or code execution, but the DoS impact requires immediate attention as it can severely impact network operations. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual BGP update patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and security teams should implement proper incident response procedures to handle potential DoS events affecting routing infrastructure.