Unauthenticated root command execution on Juniper PTX routers' OS — can fully compromise network infrastructure and disrupt services across organizations.
CVE-2026-101978
Unauthenticated OS command injection in Juniper Junos PTX bootzd via crafted gRPC response
Is CVE-2026-101978 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-101978 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked.
How severe is CVE-2026-101978?
CVE-2026-101978 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.7. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-101978?
Not known from our data. No patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2026-101978, which is not the same as no patch existing — a fix may have shipped without a tagged reference, or after this record was written. The vendor advisory is the only authority on whether a fix exists, and mitigations may be available regardless.
What does CVE-2026-101978 affect?
CVE-2026-101978 affects Juniper Junos OS Evolved on PTX Series (bootzd). Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-101978?
Apply vendor patches when released; immediately restrict/segment management LAN and block gRPC from untrusted networks.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Unauthenticated attacker on management LAN can execute arbitrary root commands, fully compromise device, disrupt routing and persist backdoors.
Immediate action required
- affected>= 24.4 and < 24.4R2-S5-EVO
- affected>= 25.2 and < 25.2R2-S2-EVO
- affected>= 25.4 and < 25.4R1-S3-EVO
- affected>= 26.2 and < 26.2R1-S2-EVO
- affected23.4X100
- affected>= 25.2X100 and < 25.2X100-D35-EVO
- affected>= 25.4X300 and < 25.4X300-D40-EVO
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.