CVE-2026-101978 — Junos OS Evolved: PTX Series: An attacker controlled gRPC response causes root-level compromise when zero-touch provisioning is used
An OS Command Injection vulnerability in the bootzd zero-touch provisioning daemon of Juniper Networks Junos OS Evolved on PTX Series allows an unauthenticated attacker on the management LAN to execute commands as root via a crafted gRPC response.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Technical severity (high)+6
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Juniper Networks Junos Os Evolved).
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (injection), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juniper Networks | Junos Os Evolved | ≥ 24.4 and < 24.4R2-S5-EVO≥ 25.2 and < 25.2R2-S2-EVO≥ 25.4 and < 25.4R1-S3-EVO≥ 26.2 and < 26.2R1-S2-EVOversion 23.4X100≥ 25.2X100 and < 25.2X100-D35-EVO≥ 25.4X300 and < 25.4X300-D40-EVO | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.7 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | sirt@juniper.net via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 8.7 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | juniper via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 8.8 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 2.8 | 5.9 | sirt@juniper.net via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 8.8 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | juniper via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: sirt@juniper.net) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Look for parameters with command/query metacharacters and unexpected child processes of the service.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Source status changed · Received → Awaiting Analysis
- Affected products removed · 7
- Affected products added · juniper networks/junos os evolved
- SSVC assessment updated
- Affected products added · juniper networks/junos os evolved
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 8.8
- Source status changed · → Received
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× References added · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
References
1 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Critical CVE-2026-101983 Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: An attacker causes remote code execution when J-Web virtual-domain is configured 1d
- Critical CVE-2026-101982 Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: A EVPN peer causes an rpd crash or root-level compromise when EVPN-VPWS is used 1d
- High CVE-2026-101979 Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: A network attacker causes root-level code execution or denial of service when SNMP and AAA are enabled 1d
- High CVE-2026-101976 Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: In a non-4byte-AS scenario a specific BGP update causes an rpd crash 1d
- High CVE-2026-101981 Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: An adjacent LDP peer causes routing-engine compromise when LDP is enabled 1d
- Medium CVE-2026-101972 Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved: Malformed OSPF packets causes routing disruption when OSPF is enabled 1d
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No FIRST EPSS score.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-101978 is "Junos OS Evolved: PTX Series: An attacker controlled gRPC response causes root-level compromise when zero-touch provisioning is used", rated High. It affects Junos Os Evolved (Juniper Networks); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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