CVE-2023-28981

Routing daemon crash via malformed router advertisement

Published Apr 17, 2023 · Updated Feb 5, 2025

Improper input validation in Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved allows remote attackers to crash the routing daemon. The kernel mishandles a specifically malformed IPv6 router-advertisement packet, corrupting memory and terminating rpd. An interface must accept router advertisements, and the attacker must send the packet from an adjacent network segment.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.30%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Improper input validation in Juniper Networks Junos OS and Junos OS Evolved allows remote attackers to crash the routing daemon. The kernel mishandles a specifically malformed IPv6 router-advertisement packet, corrupting memory and terminating rpd. An interface must accept router advertisements, and the attacker must send the packet from an adjacent network segment.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-28981
Published
Apr 17, 2023
Updated
Feb 5, 2025
Vendor
Juniper Networks
Product
Junos OS Evolved
Classifications
CWE-20, T1499.004
Attack vector
adjacent
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 17, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 5, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=20.3R1-EVO <20.3-EVO*
  2. Affected versionversion=20.4-EVO <20.4R3-S6-EVO
  3. Affected versionversion=21.3-EVO <21.3R3-EVO
  4. Affected versionversion=21.4-EVO <21.4R2-EVO
  5. Affected versionversion=22.1-EVO <22.1R2-EVO

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectoradjacent
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Juniper Networks · Junos OS Evolvedversion=20.3R1-EVO <20.3-EVO*; version=20.4-EVO <20.4R3-S6-EVO; version=21.3-EVO <21.3R3-EVO; version=21.4-EVO <21.4R2-EVO; version=22.1-EVO <22.1R2-EVO
Juniper Networks · Junos OSversion=20.3 <20.3R3-S5; version=20.4 <20.4R3-S3, 20.4R3-S6; version=21.1 <21.1R3-S4; version=21.2 <21.2R3; version=21.3 <21.3R3; version=21.4 <21.4R2; version=22.1 <22.1R2

Published CVSS scores

6.5Juniper Networks, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectoradjacent
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-20Improper Input Validation
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo