An improper handling of a missing special element in Juniper Networks Junos OS’s SSL plugin for SRX Series devices can be triggered when the ssl‑proxy feature is enabled. If a crafted TLS message is received during a session‑resumption attempt, the Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) dereferences a null or invalid pointer, causing the engine to crash. The crash results in the temporary loss of traffic forwarding until the PFE recovers automatically, which is a classic denial‑of‑service scenario. The weakness is an instance of improper resource handling, classified as CWE‑166.

Juniper Networks Junos OS on SRX Series is affected whenever ssl‑proxy is configured. Affected releases include all versions before 23.2R2‑S5, all 23.4 releases before 23.4R2‑S5, all 24.2 releases before 24.2R2‑S2, and all 24.4 releases before 24.4R2.

In this vulnerability, the CVSS score of 8.2 signals a high risk. The EPSS score is lower than 1%, indicating a low probability of exploitation, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. The likely attack vector is network‑based; an unauthenticated attacker could send a crafted TLS message during a session‑resumption attempt while ssl‑proxy is active. The description reveals that the internal timing that triggers the crash is not under the attacker’s direct control, meaning repeated attempts may not guarantee a crash, but the vulnerability remains reachable by any network entity that can initiate that traffic.