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Big Ip Wan Optimization ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2016-5020

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-06-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
F5 BIG-IP before 12.0.0 HF3 allows remote authenticated users to modify the account configuration of users with the Resource Administration role and gain privilege via a crafted external Extended Application Verification (EAV) monitor script.

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 before 12.0.0 HF3 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability where authenticated users with standard privileges can modify account configurations of users with the Resource Administration role by submitting crafted external Extended Application Verification (EAV) monitor scripts, effectively allowing privilege escalation.

MitigationUpgrade F5 BIG-IP to version 12.0.0 HF3 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict access to the EAV monitor script configuration interface and monitor for unauthorized account modifications.

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 Wan Optimization ManagerApplication
Affected:= 10.2.1= 10.2.2= 10.2.3= 10.2.4= 11.2.1
Big Ip Protocol Security ModulePlugin / extension
Affected:= 10.2.1= 10.2.2= 10.2.3= 10.2.4= 11.4.0= 11.4.1= 11.3.0
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.4.0= 11.4.1= 11.5.0= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3= 11.5.4= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0
Big Ip Edge GatewayWeb browser
Affected:= 10.2.1= 10.2.2= 10.2.3= 10.2.4= 11.2.1
Big Ip WebacceleratorApplication
Affected:= 10.2.1= 10.2.2= 10.2.3= 10.2.4= 11.2.1
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.6.0= 10.2.1= 10.2.2= 10.2.3= 10.2.4= 11.2.1= 11.4.0= 11.4.1= 11.5.0= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:= 11.2.1= 11.4.0= 11.4.1= 11.5.0= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3= 11.5.4= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Determine the installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show /sys version' from the command line, or check System > Software Management > Software Image in the web UI, or review /etc/bashrc or /var/log/boot.log for version strings
    Affected if The installed version matches any of the affected versions listed in the CVE (e.g., 10.2.1-10.2.4, 11.2.1-11.6.1, 12.0.0-12.1.0 depending on the module)
  2. Identify which F5 modules are installed and their versions
    Run 'tmsh list /sys module' to list all installed modules, or check the web UI under System > Services > Module Management
    Affected if Any of the affected modules (Wan Optimization Manager, Protocol Security Module, Application Acceleration Manager, Edge Gateway, Webaccelerator, DNS, Access Policy Manager, or Analytics) are installed at an affected version
  3. Check for configured External Application Verification (EAV) monitors
    Run 'tmsh list /ltm monitor external' to list all external monitors, or inspect LTM > Monitors in the web UI and look for monitors of type 'External'
    Affected if Any external monitors are configured (the vulnerability exploits EAV monitor script submission)
  4. Review user account roles and privileges
    Run 'tmsh list /auth user' to view user accounts and their assigned roles, or check Users and Roles in the web UI under System > Users
    Affected if There are users with 'Resource Administration' role alongside users with lower standard privileges (the flaw allows standard users to modify Resource Administration role accounts)

You are affected if your F5 BIG-IP runs an affected version/module AND has external EAV monitors configured AND has users with both standard privileges and Resource Administration roles present.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade F5 BIG-IP to version 12.0.0 HF3 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict access to the EAV monitor script configuration interface and monitor for unauthorized account modifications.

Fix this in Big Ip Wan Optimization Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2016-5020 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data