CVE-2025-21592 in Junos OS
Summary
by MITRE • 01/09/2025
An Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability in the command-line interface (CLI) of Juniper Networks Junos OS on SRX Series devices allows a local, low-privileged user with access to the Junos CLI to view the contents of sensitive files on the file system.
Through the execution of either 'show services advanced-anti-malware' or 'show services security-intelligence' command, a user with limited permissions (e.g., a low privilege login class user) can access protected files that should not be accessible to the user. These files may contain sensitive information that can be used to cause further impact to the system.
This issue affects Junos OS SRX Series:
* All versions before 21.4R3-S8,
* from 22.2 before 22.2R3-S5,
* from 22.3 before 22.3R3-S3, * from 22.4 before 22.4R3-S2,
* from 23.2 before 23.2R2-S1,
* from 23.4 before 23.4R2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/29/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw classified under CWE-200, where sensitive system data becomes accessible to unauthorized actors through improper access controls within the Juniper Networks Junos OS command-line interface. The exposure occurs specifically on SRX Series devices where local users with minimal privileges can escalate their access through seemingly benign CLI commands. The flaw exists in the implementation of privilege separation mechanisms that fail to properly restrict file system access during execution of advanced security service commands, creating a direct pathway for unauthorized data retrieval that violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and access control.
The technical exploitation mechanism leverages two specific show commands within the Junos CLI that should only return aggregated security intelligence data but instead expose underlying file system contents through improper input validation and access control enforcement. When a low-privileged user executes either 'show services advanced-anti-malware' or 'show services security-intelligence', the system fails to properly sanitize command parameters or enforce appropriate file system permissions, allowing access to sensitive configuration files, security policy data, and potentially cryptographic material that should remain protected within the system's secure zones. This represents a classic privilege escalation through information disclosure attack vector that aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1566 (Phishing with Malicious Attachments) when combined with other exploitation methods.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to create potential pathways for further compromise of the network infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to security policy configurations, threat intelligence data, and potentially system credentials that would enable more sophisticated attacks. The affected versions span multiple release branches, indicating this flaw has persisted across several major releases and suggests a systemic issue in the security architecture implementation rather than a one-time coding error. Organizations running these vulnerable devices face increased risk of targeted attacks where adversaries can gather intelligence about network security posture, identify potential attack vectors, and develop more effective exploitation strategies against the device's security services.
Mitigation strategies must focus on immediate patch deployment across all affected Junos OS versions to address the underlying access control implementation flaws. Network administrators should implement additional monitoring of CLI command execution patterns to detect unusual activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and privilege separation in security-critical applications, aligning with security best practices outlined in NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 controls for access control and information protection. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and additional logging of privileged command executions to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts, while ensuring that all users with CLI access are properly vetted and their access rights are strictly limited to their operational requirements.