CVE-2022-22209: A Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerability in the kernel of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated network based attacker t

A Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerability in the kernel of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated network based attacker t

A Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerability in the kernel of Juniper Networks Junos OS allows an unauthenticated network based attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS). On all Junos platforms, the Kernel Routing Table (KRT) queue can get stuck due to a memory leak triggered by interface flaps or route churn leading to RIB and PFEs getting out of sync. The memory leak causes RTNEXTHOP/route and next-hop memory pressure issue and the KRT queue will eventually get stuck with the error- 'ENOMEM -- Cannot allocate memory'. The out-of-sync state between RIB and FIB can be seen with the "show route" and "show route forwarding-table" command. This issue will lead to failures for adding new routes. The KRT queue status can be checked using the CLI command "show krt queue": user@host > show krt state High-priority add queue: 1 queued ADD nhtype Router index 0 (31212) error 'ENOMEM -- Cannot allocate memory' kqp '0x8ad5e40' The following messages will be observed in /var/log/messages, which indicate high memory for routes/nexthops: host rpd[16279]: RPD_RT_HWM_NOTICE: New RIB highwatermark for routes: 266 [2022-03-04 05:06:07] host rpd[16279]: RPD_KRT_Q_RETRIES: nexth

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by sirt@juniper.net

What it means for a small business

Junos OS is network equipment or remote-access software: the box between your office and the internet. These are a favorite target because breaking one opens the whole office.

If an IT provider set it up, ask them to confirm the firmware version and the date it was updated. If nobody looks after it, that's the bigger problem.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 1.0%, higher than 63% of CVEs. That’s above average: worth scheduling this week. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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