Juniper Networks Inc. has provided more details about the “unauthorized code” found in its ScreenOS operating system for firewalls.

The company made the revelation that apparent “spying code” was found in ScreenOS versions 6.2.0r15 to 6.2.0r18, and 6.3.0r12 to 6.3.0r20 last week. Over the weekend, the company posted an article on the knowledge base section of its website, detailing two particular vulnerabilities through which someone with knowledge of the code can access sensitive data.

“The first issue allows unauthorized remote administrative access to the device over SSH or telnet,” Juniper said in its post. “Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to complete compromise of the affected system.”

The company adds that skilled attackers would also be able to remove any trace of their presence in a compromised network by removing entries from the local log file, thereby eliminating any signature that might tell admins the network has been compromised.

Meanwhile, “The second issue may allow a knowledgeable attacker who can monitor VPN traffic to decrypt that traffic. It is independent of the first issue,” Juniper said, adding that there’s no way to find out if this vulnerability has been exploited.

What with allegations of state-sponsored hacking being bandied about, authorities are taking the problem seriously – it’s reported that government agencies are liaising with Juniper, while the FBI has also launched an investigation.

The Register goes so far as to speculate the attackers could be from China. It quotes an unnamed former Juniper employee as saying China is where Juniper outsources its sustaining engineering for ScreenOS, and that’s where investigators should focus their attention.

Of course, blaming China when there’s no evidence is the easy option, given the allegations made over its cyber-spying in the past. However, The Register points out it would also be naive to discount Beijing’s involvement, given that Juniper got its hands on the underlying technology for ScreenOS when it acquired Netscreen Technologies, a company founded by Chinese nationals, back in 2004.

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