CVE-2026-21921

6.5 MEDIUM

📋 TL;DR

A Use After Free vulnerability in Juniper's chassis daemon allows authenticated low-privilege attackers to cause denial-of-service by repeatedly subscribing/unsubscribing telemetry collectors. This affects Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved, potentially causing process crashes and system outages until recovery.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:
  • Juniper Networks Junos OS
  • Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved
Versions: Junos OS: All versions before 22.4R3-S8, 23.2 before 23.2R2-S5, 23.4 before 23.4R2; Junos OS Evolved: All versions before 22.4R3-S8-EVO, 23.2 before 23.2R2-S5-EVO, 23.4 before 23.4R2-EVO
Operating Systems: Junos OS, Junos OS Evolved
Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes
Notes: Requires telemetry functionality and authenticated low-privilege access. Affects chassisd, rpd, and mib2d processes.

📦 What is this software?

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

Junos by Juniper

Junos OS is Juniper Networks' flagship network operating system running on enterprise routers, switches, security appliances, and data center infrastructure worldwide. Deployed across telecommunications providers, ISPs, cloud service providers, financial institutions, and large enterprises, Junos po...

Learn more about Junos →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete network outage affecting routing, switching, and management functions until system recovers from process crashes.

🟠

Likely Case

Intermittent service disruptions as affected processes (chassisd, rpd, mib2d) crash and restart, degrading network performance.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper network segmentation and monitoring, though authenticated attackers could still trigger crashes.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires authenticated access but could affect internet-facing management interfaces.
🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Internal attackers with low privileges can exploit this to disrupt critical network infrastructure.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No
Weaponized: UNKNOWN
Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No
Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires authenticated access and ability to repeatedly subscribe/unsubscribe telemetry collectors over extended period.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Junos OS: 22.4R3-S8, 23.2R2-S5, 23.4R2 or later; Junos OS Evolved: 22.4R3-S8-EVO, 23.2R2-S5-EVO, 23.4R2-EVO or later

Vendor Advisory: https://kb.juniper.net/JSA106021

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download appropriate Junos OS/Junos OS Evolved patch version. 2. Backup configuration. 3. Install patch via CLI or J-Web interface. 4. Reboot device to apply changes. 5. Verify patch installation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict Telemetry Access

all

Limit telemetry subscription capabilities to trusted users only via access control policies.

configure
set system services telemetry access-control-group trusted-group
set system services telemetry access-control-group trusted-group client-list trusted-ips
commit

Monitor Process Health

all

Implement monitoring for chassisd, rpd, and mib2d process restarts to detect exploitation attempts.

show system processes extensive | match chassisd|rpd|mib2d
show system core-dumps

🧯 If You Can't Patch

  • Implement strict network segmentation to isolate management interfaces from untrusted networks.
  • Enforce least privilege access controls and monitor for unusual telemetry subscription patterns.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check current Junos version: show version | match Junos. Compare against affected versions listed in advisory.

Check Version:

show version | match Junos

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify installed version is patched: show version | match Junos. Check for absence of process crashes: show system core-dumps.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

  • chassisd/rpd/mib2d process crashes
  • frequent telemetry subscription/unsubscription events
  • core dump files generated

Network Indicators:

  • unusual telemetry protocol traffic patterns
  • repeated connection attempts to telemetry ports

SIEM Query:

source="juniper-firewall" AND (process="chassisd" OR process="rpd" OR process="mib2d") AND event="crash"

🔗 References

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