CVE-2023-36844
CRITICALNVD 5.3EG9.0▲EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence
“▲” beside the score: it is higher than NVD's CVSS score.
Score elevated to 9.0 because this CVE is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2023-11-13), indicating real-world exploitation has been confirmed by US federal agencies. NVD baseline CVSS 5.3 retained for reference. The 9.0 is the floor for confirmed exploitation, not an impact rating: this CVE's impact severity (EG Severity) is CVSS 5.3 MEDIUM under GitHub Security Advisory CVSS. Confidence: HIGH.
Triggered by: CISA KEV (actively exploited)
Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, EPSS, GitHub Security Advisory, NVD CVSS v3
🔥Trending — 3 sources updated this week🔴Exploited in the wildⓘEG-KEV Tier 1: Exploited in the wildEG-KEV is EchelonGraph's own tiering of exploitation signals from CISA KEV, CISA's SSVC data (Vulnrichment), ransomware data, public exploit-code references and EPSS.Tier 1 is evidence of exploitation in the wild: a CISA KEV listing, CISA's SSVC exploitation value "active", or known ransomware campaign use.Signals for this CVE: listed in CISA KEV, CISA's SSVC exploitation value: active, EPSS in the top 5%, EPSS 50% or more, other public exploit code (a GitHub or vendor proof of concept, or an Exploit-DB entry not marked verified).First public exploit code on record: 2023-08-25 (GitHub PoC watchtowrlabs/juniper-rce_cve-2023-36844)Added to CISA KEV: 2023-11-13EchelonGraph confidence 100%: a heuristic from the tier and the number of signals, not a measured probability. EchelonGraph verdictPatch nowTreat as an emergency — this is being exploited.
- •Actively exploited in the wild (CISA-KEV) — the reason this is sooner than the SSVC decision on this page at low mission impact
CISA-KEV: ExploitedEPSS PROB: 90%CVSS: 5.3Exploit: Public PoCExposed services: Not assessed
The following software releases have been updated to resolve this specific issue: 20.4R3-S9*, 21.2R3-S7*, 21.3R3-S5*, 21.4R3-S5*, 22.1R3-S4*, 22.2R3-S2, 22.3R3-S1*, 22.4R2-S2*, 22.4R3*, 23.2R1-S1, 23.2R2*, 23.4R1*, and… (from the CVE record's solution, Juniper Networks, Inc.) — apply it.
A PHP External Variable Modification vulnerability in J-Web of Juniper Networks Junos OS on EX Series allows an unauthenticated, network-based attacker to control certain, important environment variables.
Using a crafted request an attacker is able to modify
certain PHP environment variables leading to partial loss of integrity, which may allow chaining to other vulnerabilities.
This issue affects Juniper Networks Junos OS on EX Series:
* All versions prior to 20.4R3-S9;
* 21.1 versions 21.1R1 and later;
* 21.2 versions prior to 21.2R3-S7;
* 21.3 versions
prior to
21.3R3-S5;
* 21.4 versions
prior to
21.4R3-S5;
* 22.1 versions
prior to
22.1R3-S4;
* 22.2 versions
prior to
22.2R3-S2;
* 22.3 versions
prior to 22.3R3-S1;
* 22.4 versions
prior to
22.4R2-S2, 22.4R3;
* 23.2 versions prior to
23.2R1-S1, 23.2R2.
- CVSS v3
- 5.3
- EG Score
- 9.0CRITICALhigh confidence
- EG Riskⓘ
- 79
EG Risk 79/100
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses impact severity (EG Severity, the CVSS base score, never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score) with real-world exploitation and automatability, under weights EchelonGraph set by hand, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner.
How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)
Severity53% × 45%
Impact severity (EG Severity): CVSS 5.3 of 10. Never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score.
Exploitation100% × 40%
Fixed at 100% for a CISA KEV listing: EchelonGraph's rule.
Automatability100% × 15%
CISA's SSVC Automatable value: yes (Vulnrichment).
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Attend at low mission impact; Act at medium or high.
Exploitation active (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable yes (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.
Action: The following software releases have been updated to resolve this specific issue: 20.4R3-S9*, 21.2R3-S7*, 21.3R3-S5*, 21.4R3-S5*, 22.1R3-S4*, 22.2R3-S2, 22.3R3-S1*, 22.4R2-S2*, 22.4R3*, 23.2R1-S1, 23.2R2*, 23.4R1*, and… (from the CVE record's solution, Juniper Networks, Inc.). Apply it sooner than your standard update timelines at low mission impact and as soon as possible at medium or high.
- EPSS PROB
- 90%
- EPSS %ILE
- 99th
- KEV
- ⚠ Exploited
What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)
The EG score (9.0): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 9.0 is the CISA KEV floor for confirmed exploitation, not an impact rating: its impact severity (EG Severity) is CVSS 5.3 MEDIUM.
- EG Severity
- 5.3 MEDIUMCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
- EG Likelihood
- 90% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-10-22). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
- Confirmed exploitation
- CISA KEV and EG-KEV Tier 1 (exploited in the wild)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
- EG Priority
- SSVC Act at medium mission impactAttend at low mission impact; Act at medium or high.CISA BOD 26-04: 3 days & forensic triage if the affected system is publicly exposed; 3 days & forensic triage if it is not.Each input and its source: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Attend at low mission impact; Act at medium or high.
The following software releases have been updated to resolve this specific issue: 20.4R3-S9*, 21.2R3-S7*, 21.3R3-S5*, 21.4R3-S5*, 22.1R3-S4*, 22.2R3-S2, 22.3R3-S1*, 22.4R2-S2*, 22.4R3*, 23.2R1-S1, 23.2R2*, 23.4R1*, and… (from the CVE record's solution, Juniper Networks, Inc.). Apply it sooner than your standard update timelines at low mission impact and as soon as possible at medium or high.
Exploitation active (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable yes (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table
BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)3 days & forensic triage if the affected system is publicly exposed; 3 days & forensic triage if it is not.
In CISA KEV yes (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable yes (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it
CISA required action“Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.”
Quoted verbatim from CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. CISA directs it at US federal civilian executive branch agencies under Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 26-04, which replaced BOD 22-01 on 10 June 2026; it is not EchelonGraph's advice. CISA's notes: https://supportportal.juniper.net/s/article/2023-08-Out-of-Cycle-Security-Bulletin-Junos-OS-SRX-Series-and-EX-Series-Multiple-vulnerabilities-in-J-Web-can-be-combined-to-allow-a-preAuth-Remote-Code-Execution?language=en_US · https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36844
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