CVE-2026-21918 - Junos OS Plugin
CVE-2026-21918
A Double Free vulnerability in the flow processing daemon (flowd) of Juniper Networks Junos OS on SRX and MX Series allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause a Denial-of-Service (DoS). On all SRX and MX Series platforms, when during TCP session establishment a specific sequence of packets is encountered a double free happens. This causes flowd to crash and the respective FPC to restart.
This issue affects Junos OS on SRX and MX Series:
* all versions before 22.4R3-S7,
* 23.2 versions before 23.2R2-S3,
* 23.4 versions before 23.4R2-S4,
* 24.2 versions before 24.2R2.
CVE-2026-21918
HIGH
CVSS 8.7
Published 2026-01-15
Updated 2026-01-23
AI Risk High (84/100)
Active Exploit: No strong signal
Published Exploit: No public exploit references
Priority: P2 Urgent
Severity Band
HIGH
CVSS Vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:Y/R:A/V:X/RE:M/U:X
Affected Components
1
Reference Links
2
AI Risk Engine
High (84/100)
Exploitability
High
Active Exploitation
No strong signal
Published Exploit Status
No public exploit references
AI Context
Machine-generated threat intelligence
AI
Updated 12 days ago
AI enriched 12 days ago (2026-04-09 08:00 UTC)
Technical Summary
A Double Free vulnerability in the flow processing daemon (flowd) of Juniper Networks Junos OS on SRX and MX Series allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause a Denial-of-Service (DoS). On all SRX and MX Series platforms, when during TCP session establishment a specific sequence of packets is encountered a double free happens. This causes flowd to crash and the respective FPC to restart. This issue affects Junos OS on SRX and MX Series: * all versions before 22.4R3-S7, *…
Potential Impact
Severity is HIGH (CVSS 8.7). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.
Exploitability Assessment
Exploitability is assessed as High based on low-bar exploit prerequisites.
Primary risk drivers: low-bar exploit prerequisites
Mitigation Recommendations
Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.
Detection & Monitoring
Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.
Business Impact Lens
Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.