CVE-2023-44191
Junos OS: QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series: Denial of Service (DoS) on a large scale VLAN due to PFE hogging
An Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause Denial of Service (DoS).
On all Junos OS QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series platforms, when a high number of VLANs are configured, a specific DHCP packet will cause PFE hogging which will lead to dropping of socket connections.
This issue affects:
Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series
- 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S5;
- 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S5;
- 21.3 versions prior to 21.3R3-S5;
- 21.4 versions prior to 21.4R3-S4;
- 22.1 versions prior to 22.1R3-S3;
- 22.2 versions prior to 22.2R3-S1;
- 22.3 versions prior to 22.3R2-S2, 22.3R3;
- 22.4 versions prior to 22.4R2.
This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 21.1R1
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
Junos OS: QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series: Denial of Service (DoS) on a large scale VLAN due to PFE hogging
An Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause Denial of Service (DoS).
On all Junos OS QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series platforms, when a high number of VLANs are configured, a specific DHCP packet will cause PFE hogging which will lead to dropping of socket connections.
This issue affects:
Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series
- 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S5;
- 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S5;
- 21.3 versions prior to 21.3R3-S5;
- 21.4 versions prior to 21.4R3-S4;
- 22.1 versions prior to 22.1R3-S3;
- 22.2 versions prior to 22.2R3-S1;
- 22.3 versions prior to 22.3R2-S2, 22.3R3;
- 22.4 versions prior to 22.4R2.
This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 21.1R1
- Record
CVE-2023-44191- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-770
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-48550
An Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause Denial of Service (DoS).
On all Junos OS QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series platforms, when a high number of VLANs are configured, a specific DHCP packet will cause PFE hogging which will lead to dropping of socket connections.
This issue affects:
Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series
- 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S5;
- 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S5;
- 21.3 versions prior to 21.3R3-S5;
- 21.4 versions prior to 21.4R3-S4;
- 22.1 versions prior to 22.1R3-S3;
- 22.2 versions prior to 22.2R3-S1;
- 22.3 versions prior to 22.3R2-S2, 22.3R3;
- 22.4 versions prior to 22.4R2.
This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 21.1R1
- Record
EUVD-2023-48550- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-gg84-68cr-5wgm
An Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos...
An Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause Denial of Service (DoS).
On all Junos OS QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series platforms, when a high number of VLANs are configured, a specific DHCP packet will cause PFE hogging which will lead to dropping of socket connections.
This issue affects:
Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series
- 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S5;
- 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S5;
- 21.3 versions prior to 21.3R3-S5;
- 21.4 versions prior to 21.4R3-S4;
- 22.1 versions prior to 22.1R3-S3;
- 22.2 versions prior to 22.2R3-S1;
- 22.3 versions prior to 22.3R2-S2, 22.3R3;
- 22.4 versions prior to 22.4R2.
This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 21.1R1
- Record
GHSA-gg84-68cr-5wgm- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-770
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
An Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to cause Denial of Service (DoS).
On all Junos OS QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series platforms, when a high number of VLANs are configured, a specific DHCP packet will cause PFE hogging which will lead to dropping of socket connections.
This issue affects:
Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX5000 Series and EX4000 Series
- 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R3-S5;
- 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S5;
- 21.3 versions prior to 21.3R3-S5;
- 21.4 versions prior to 21.4R3-S4;
- 22.1 versions prior to 22.1R3-S3;
- 22.2 versions prior to 22.2R3-S1;
- 22.3 versions prior to 22.3R2-S2, 22.3R3;
- 22.4 versions prior to 22.4R2.
This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS versions prior to 21.1R1
- Record
CVE-2023-44191- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-770
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2023-44191 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Juniper Junos, published October 12, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.62%, the 49th percentile. No source names a fixed version.