dbcve.org
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication · F5

CVE-2015-8611

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-01-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
BIG-IP LTM, AAM, AFM, Analytics, APM, ASM, DNS, Link Controller, and PEM 12.0.0 before HF1 on the 2000, 4000, 5000, 7000, and 10000 platforms do not properly sync passwords with the Always-On Management (AOM) subsystem, which might allow remote attackers to obtain login access to AOM via an (1) expired or (2) default password.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

F5 BIG-IP devices running 12.0.0 before HF1 on 2000, 4000, 5000, 7000, and 10000 platforms fail to properly synchronize passwords with the Always-On Management (AOM) out-of-band management subsystem. This password sync failure allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and gain administrative access to AOM using expired or default credentials.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 12.0.0 HF1 or later to patch the password synchronization vulnerability, and immediately change any default or expired AOM passwords to strong, unique values.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0
Big Ip Link ControllerApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0
Big Ip Policy Enforcement ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0
Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify the BIG-IP version
    Run `tmsh show /sys version` or check the GUI under System > Software Management > ISO Image
    Affected if The version shows 12.0.0 (before HF1) - note that versions 12.0.0 HF1 and later are not affected
  2. Confirm the hardware platform
    Run `tmsh show /sys hardware` or check the physical device label
    Affected if The device is a 2000, 4000, 5000, 7000, or 10000 platform running affected software
  3. Check if AOM is enabled
    Access the out-of-band management interface or run `tmsh show /sys aom` to verify Always-On Management is provisioned
    Affected if AOM is configured and accessible on the device
  4. Inspect AOM password configuration
    Access the AOM CLI via the dedicated management port or use `tmsh show /sys aom` to check password sync status
    Affected if AOM shows default, expired, or unsynchronized passwords between the main system and the AOM subsystem

A system is affected if it runs BIG-IP version 12.0.0 before HF1 on a 2000/4000/5000/7000/10000 platform with AOM enabled and has default or expired AOM credentials.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 12.0.0 HF1 or later to patch the password synchronization vulnerability, and immediately change any default or expired AOM passwords to strong, unique values.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIG-IP 12.0.0 HF1 or later (preferably latest 12.x stable release)

  1. 1. Identify all BIG-IP devices running version 12.0.0 in the environment
  2. 2. Download BIG-IP 12.0.0 HF1 (Hotfix 1) or later from the F5 Networks support portal (support.f5.com)
  3. 3. Review F5 upgrade documentation and release notes for version 12.0.0 HF1
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  5. 5. Back up current BIG-IP configuration
  6. 6. Apply the hotfix or upgrade to a stable 12.x release (preferably the latest 12.x available)
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the AOM password synchronization is working correctly
  8. 8. Change any default or expired passwords on AOM interfaces
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply - review F5 release notes for compatibility with existing configuration, and test in non-production environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Big Ip Domain Name System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-8611 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data