CVE-2024-21604
Published: 12 January 2024
Summary
CVE-2024-21604 is a high-severity Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (CWE-770) vulnerability in Juniper Junos Os Evolved. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Direct Network Flood (T1498.001); ranked in the top 47.6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-19252
Vulnerability details
An Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in the kernel of Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS). If a high rate of specific valid packets are processed…
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by the routing engine (RE) this will lead to a loss of connectivity of the RE with other components of the chassis and thereby a complete and persistent system outage. Please note that a carefully designed lo0 firewall filter will block or limit these packets which should prevent this issue from occurring. The following log messages can be seen when this issue occurs: <host> kernel: nf_conntrack: nf_conntrack: table full, dropping packet This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved: * All versions earlier than 20.4R3-S7-EVO; * 21.2R1-EVO and later versions; * 21.4-EVO versions earlier than 21.4R3-S5-EVO; * 22.1-EVO versions earlier than 22.1R3-S2-EVO; * 22.2-EVO versions earlier than 22.2R3-EVO; * 22.3-EVO versions earlier than 22.3R2-EVO; * 22.4-EVO versions earlier than 22.4R2-EVO.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
CVE-2024-21604 enables unauthenticated network-based DoS via high-rate flooding of specific valid packets exhausting the nf_conntrack table in the Junos OS Evolved kernel, causing persistent system outage (Direct Network Flood).
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
This control implements explicit throttling on session allocation, addressing the weakness of allocating resources without limits.
Plan testing exercises resource allocation limits and throttling during simulated failures, directly addressing weaknesses that allow unbounded resource use.
Contingency plan updates ensure recovery strategies address unbounded resource allocation, making it harder for attackers to exploit lack of throttling to cause prolonged outages.
Provides continuity when unbounded resource allocation at the primary site leads to exhaustion and downtime.
Alternate services allow operations to continue when primary allocation of resources lacks limits or throttling.
Explicit planning of security-related actions requires defining limits, windows, and resource allocations, making allocation without throttling far less likely.
Measures of performance include tracking allocation behavior and throttling effectiveness, reducing the window for resource exhaustion attacks.
Imposes an inactivity-based limit on network resource allocation, throttling the number of concurrently held connections.