Highly exploitable, CVE-2025-21598 poses a critical security risk that could lead to severe breaches.
Status: Received on 09 Jan 2025, 19:15 UTC
Published on: 09 Jan 2025, 19:15 UTC
CVSS Release: version 3
sirt@juniper.net
Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVE-2025-21598: An Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved's routing protocol daemon (rpd) allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to send malformed BGP packets to a device configured with packet receive trace options enabled to crash rpd. This issue affects: Junos OS: * from 21.2R3-S8 before 21.2R3-S9, * from 21.4R3-S7 before 21.4R3-S9, * from 22.2R3-S4 before 22.2R3-S5, * from 22.3R3-S2 before 22.3R3-S4, * from 22.4R3 before 22.4R3-S5, * from 23.2R2 before 23.2R2-S2, * from 23.4R1 before 23.4R2-S1, * from 24.2R1 before 24.2R1-S1, 24.2R2. Junos OS Evolved: * from 21.4R3-S7-EVO before 21.4R3-S9-EVO, * from 22.2R3-S4-EVO before 22.2R3-S5-EVO, * from 22.3R3-S2-EVO before 22.3R3-S4-EVO, * from 22.4R3-EVO before 22.4R3-S5-EVO, * from 23.2R2-EVO before 23.2R2-S2-EVO, * from 23.4R1-EVO before 23.4R2-S1-EVO, * from 24.2R1-EVO before 24.2R1-S2-EVO, 24.2R2-EVO. This issue requires a BGP session to be established. This issue can propagate and multiply through multiple ASes until reaching vulnerable devices. This issue affects iBGP and eBGP. This issue affects IPv4 and IPv6. An indicator of compromise may be the presence of malformed update messages in a neighboring AS which is unaffected by this issue: For example, by issuing the command on the neighboring device: show log messages Reviewing for similar messages from devices within proximity to each other may indicate this malformed packet is propagating: rpd[<pid>]: Received malformed update from <IP address> (External AS <AS#>) and rpd[<pid>]: Malformed Attribute
The exploitability of CVE-2025-21598 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
With low attack complexity and no required privileges, CVE-2025-21598 is an easy target for cybercriminals. Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2025-21598, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2025-21598, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.
EPSS Score: 0.046% (probability of exploit)
EPSS Percentile: 19.91%
(lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 80.09% of others.
Stay updated with real-time CVE vulnerabilities and take action to secure your systems. Enhance your cybersecurity posture with the latest threat intelligence and mitigation techniques. Develop the skills necessary to defend against CVEs and secure critical infrastructures. Join the top cybersecurity professionals safeguarding today's infrastructures.