Junos OS: QFX5000 Series, EX4600: Device may run out of memory, causing traffic loss, upon receipt of specific IPv6 packets
Published Jan 19, 2022 · Updated Nov 3, 2026
Original summary
Normalized public record · Updated Nov 3, 2026
Junos OS: QFX5000 Series, EX4600: Device may run out of memory, causing traffic loss, upon receipt of specific IPv6 packets
Publisher and source text is retained separately from QFinch interpretation.
QFinch assessment
A vulnerability in the processing of inbound IPv6 packets in Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX5000 Series and EX4600 switches may cause the memory to not be freed, leading to a packet DMA memory leak, and eventual Denial of Service (DoS) condition. Once the condition occurs, further packet processing will be impacted, creating a sustained Denial of Service (DoS) condition. The following error logs may be observed using the "show heap" command and the device may eventually run out of memory if such packets are received continuously. Jan 12 12:00:00 device-name fpc0 (buf alloc) failed allocating packet buffer Jan 12 12:00:01 device-name fpc0 (buf alloc) failed allocating packet buffer user@device-name> request pfe execute target fpc0 timeout 30 command "show heap" ID Base Total(b) Free(b) Used(b) % Name -- ---------- ----------- ----------- ----------- --- ----------- 0 246fc1a8 536870488 353653752 183216736 34 Kernel 1 91800000 16777216 12069680 4707536 28 DMA 2 92800000 75497472 69997640 5499832 7 PKT DMA DESC 3 106fc000 335544320 221425960 114118360 34 Bcm_sdk 4 97000000 176160768 200 176160568 99 Packet DMA <<<<<<<<<<<<<< 5 903fffe0 20971504 20971504 0 0 Blob This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS on QFX5000 Series, EX4600: 18.3R3 versions prior to 18.3R3-S6; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2-S9, 18.4R3-S9; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R2-S3, 19.1R3-S7; 19.2 versions prior to 19.2R1-S8, 19.2R3-S3; 19.3 versions prior to 19.3R2-S7, 19.3R3-S4; 19.4 versions prior to 19.4R2-S5, 19.4R3-S6; 20.1 versions prior to 20.1R3-S1; 20.2 versions prior to 20.2R3-S2; 20.3 versions prior to 20.3R3-S1; 20.4 versions prior to 20.4R3; 21.1 versions prior to 21.1R2-S1, 21.1R3; 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R1-S1, 21.2R2. This issue does not affect Juniper Networks Junos OS: Any versions prior to 17.4R3; 18.1 versions prior to 18.1R3-S6; 18.2 versions prior to 18.2R3; 18.3 versions prior to 18.3R3; 18.4 versions prior to 18.4R2; 19.1 versions prior to 19.1R2.
Evidence: public source recordsAffected products
| Affected package, product or range | Fix status |
|---|---|
| Consult the referenced vendor advisory for affected versions. | Consult source advisory |
Matching a version is only one part of assessing exposure. QFinch has not assessed your environment on this public page.
Remediation
Apply the vendor-supported fixed release or mitigation, then verify the affected component is no longer reachable.
- Confirm the affected product and reachable code path exist in your environment.
- Apply the vendor-supported patch or mitigation from the primary advisory.
- Rescan the exact deployed revision and retain verification evidence.
Evidence coverage
- SSVC priority
- MEDIUM
- Confidence
- Not available
- Aliases
- None reported
Scores appear only when corresponding evidence exists. Missing data is never interpreted as zero risk.
Sources and record history
Record history
Published Jan 19, 2022 · Last refreshed Nov 3, 2026