CVE-2025-52987 is a clickjacking vulnerability identified in Juniper Networks Paragon Automation suite, including Pathfinder, Planner, and Insights components. The root cause is the absence of proper HTTP headers—specifically X-Frame-Options and X-Content-Type—that prevent the web portal from being embedded within frames or iframes on attacker-controlled websites. Without these headers, an attacker can craft a malicious webpage that loads the Paragon Automation interface invisibly or deceptively, tricking users into performing unintended actions such as configuration changes or data disclosure. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to 24.1.1. The CVSS v3.1 score is 6.1 (medium), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, but requiring user interaction. The scope is changed (S:C) because the vulnerability can affect resources beyond the vulnerable component. Confidentiality and integrity impacts are low, as attackers can potentially manipulate user actions or view sensitive UI elements, but availability is not impacted. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability poses a risk especially in environments where Paragon Automation is used for critical network management and automation tasks. The lack of X-Frame-Options and X-Content-Type headers is a common web security misconfiguration that can be mitigated by setting these headers to deny framing or restrict framing to trusted origins.

For European organizations, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized manipulation of network automation workflows or exposure of sensitive operational data if users are tricked into interacting with a maliciously framed interface. Given that Paragon Automation is used for network path planning, insights, and automation, successful exploitation could undermine network integrity and confidentiality, potentially disrupting service quality or exposing strategic network configurations. While availability is not directly impacted, the indirect effects on network operations could be significant. Organizations in sectors such as telecommunications, finance, energy, and government—where Juniper products are prevalent—are at higher risk. The requirement for user interaction means social engineering or phishing campaigns could be used to exploit this vulnerability, increasing the risk in environments with less user security awareness.

Beyond applying the official patch or upgrading to version 24.1.1 or later, organizations should implement Content Security Policy (CSP) frame-ancestors directives to restrict framing to trusted domains. Web application firewalls (WAFs) can be configured to detect and block suspicious framing attempts or HTTP requests lacking proper headers. User awareness training should emphasize the risks of interacting with unknown or suspicious links, especially those that could embed trusted interfaces. Network segmentation and strict access controls can limit exposure of the Paragon Automation portal to only trusted internal users. Regular security audits and penetration testing should include checks for clickjacking vulnerabilities and HTTP header configurations. Monitoring for anomalous user actions within the Paragon Automation portal can help detect potential exploitation attempts early.