CVE-2020-1653 | Junos OS: Kernel crash (vmcore) or FPC crash due to mbuf leak

On Juniper Networks Junos OS devices, a stream of TCP packets sent to the Routing Engine (RE) may cause mbuf leak which can lead to Flexible PIC Concentrator (FPC) crash or the system to crash and restart (vmcore). This issue can be trigged by IPv4 or IPv6 and it is caused only by TCP packets. This issue is not related to any specific configuration and it affects Junos OS releases starting from 17.4R1. However, this issue does not affect Junos OS releases prior to 18.2R1 when Nonstop active routing (NSR) is configured [edit routing-options nonstop-routing]. The number of mbufs is platform dependent. The following command provides the number of mbufs counter that are currently in use and maximum number of mbufs that can be allocated on a platform: user@host> show system buffers 2437/3143/5580 mbufs in use (current/cache/total) Once the device runs out of mbufs, the FPC crashes or the vmcore occurs and the device might become inaccessible requiring a manual restart. This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS 17.4 versions prior to 17.4R2-S11, 17.4R3-S2; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S10; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R2-S7, 18.2R3-S5; 18.2X75 versions prior to 18.2X75-D41, 18.2X75-D420.12, 18.2X75-D51, 18.2X75-D60, 18.2X75-D34; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R2-S4, 18.3R3-S2; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R1-S7, 18.4R2-S4, 18.4R3-S1; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R1-S5, 19.1R2-S1, 19.1R3; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S5, 19.2R2; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S3, 19.3R3; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R1-S2, 19.4R2. Versions of Junos OS prior to 17.4R1 are unaffected by this vulnerability.

Published: 2020-07-17 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2020-1653 is rated Moderate Risk (48.9/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.46%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2020-1653

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-03-30 3.04% 0.46% -2.58%
2 2025-03-29 0.46% 3.04% +2.58%
3 2025-03-17 0.46%

Full EPSS history (8 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2020-1653

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 3.6 [email protected]
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 3.6 [email protected]
5.0 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:N)
No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
10.0 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2020-1653

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2020-1653

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r1-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r1-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r1-s4:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r1-s5:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r1-s6:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r1-s7:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2-s10:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2-s4:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2-s5:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2-s6:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2-s7:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2-s8:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r2-s9:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 17.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:17.4:r3-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r2-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r2-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r2-s4:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r3-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r3-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r3-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r3-s4:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r3-s6:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r3-s7:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r3-s8:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.1 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.1:r3-s9:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r1:-:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r1-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r1-s4:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r1-s5:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r2-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r2-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r2-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r2-s4:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r2-s5:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r2-s6:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r3-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r3-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r3-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2:r3-s4:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2x75 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2x75:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2x75 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2x75:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2x75 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2x75:d20:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2x75 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2x75:d30:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.2x75 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.2x75:d40:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r1-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r1-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r1-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r1-s5:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r1-s6:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r2-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r2-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r2-s3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r3:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.3 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.3:r3-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.4:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.4:r1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.4:r1-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.4:r1-s2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.4:r1-s5:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.4:r1-s6:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.4:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*
juniper junos 18.4 cpe:2.3:o:juniper:junos:18.4:r2-s1:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2020-1653

URL Tags
https://kb.juniper.net/JSA11040 Vendor Advisory
cvelogic Threat Intelligence