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Big Ip Link ControllerApplication · F5

CVE-2016-5022

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-09-07
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
F5 BIG-IP LTM, Analytics, APM, ASM, and Link Controller 11.2.x before 11.2.1 HF16, 11.3.x, 11.4.x, 11.5.x before 11.5.4 HF2, 11.6.x before 11.6.1 HF1, and 12.x before 12.0.0 HF3; BIG-IP AAM, AFM, and PEM 11.4.x, 11.5.x before 11.5.4 HF2, 11.6.x before 11.6.1 HF1, and 12.x before 12.0.0 HF3; BIG-IP DNS 12.x before 12.0.0 HF3; BIG-IP Edge Gateway, WebAccelerator, and WOM 11.2.x before 11.2.1 HF16 and 11.3.0; BIG-IP GTM 11.2.x before 11.2.1 HF16, 11.3.x, 11.4.x, 11.5.x before 11.5.4 HF2, and 11.6.x before 11.6.1 HF1; BIG-IP PSM 11.2.x before 11.2.1 HF16, 11.3.x, and 11.4.0 through 11.4.1; Enterprise Manager 3.1.1; BIG-IQ Cloud and Security 4.0.0 through 4.5.0; BIG-IQ Device 4.2.0 through 4.5.0; BIG-IQ ADC 4.5.0; BIG-IQ Centralized Management 5.0.0; BIG-IQ Cloud and Orchestration 1.0.0; and iWorkflow 2.0.0, when Packet Filtering is enabled on virtual servers and possibly self IP addresses, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (Traffic Management Microkernel restart) and possibly have unspecified other impact via crafted network traffic.

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 products contain a vulnerability when Packet Filtering is enabled on virtual servers or self IP addresses. Remote attackers can send crafted network traffic to cause a Denial of Service by forcing the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to restart, and potentially achieve unspecified additional impacts. The CVSS 9.8 indicates network-exploitable, low-complexity attacks requiring no authentication.

MitigationApply the relevant F5 hotfixes (11.2.x HF16, 11.5.x HF2, 11.6.x HF1, 12.x HF3) or upgrade to supported versions. Alternatively, disable Packet Filtering on affected virtual servers and self IP addresses if immediate patching is not feasible.

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 Link ControllerApplication
Affected:= 11.2.0= 11.2.1= 11.3.0= 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
Big Ip Policy Enforcement 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
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.2.0= 11.2.1= 11.3.0= 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
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.2.0= 11.2.1= 11.3.0= 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
Big Iq CloudApplication
Affected:= 4.0.0= 4.1.0= 4.2.0= 4.3.0= 4.4.0= 4.5.0
Big Ip WebacceleratorApplication
Affected:= 11.2.0= 11.2.1= 11.3.0
Big Iq Application Delivery ControllerApplication
Affected:= 4.5.0
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.2.0= 11.2.1= 11.3.0= 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

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. Identify the installed BIG-IP product and version
    Run `tmsh show /sys version` or check the web UI under System > Software > Image to determine the exact product module and version number
    Affected if The version matches one of the affected versions listed in the CVE (e.g., 11.2.0, 11.5.0, 12.0.0, 4.0.0, etc.) for any of the affected modules (Link Controller, APM, GTM, ASM, PEM, WebAccelerator, BigIq Cloud, BigIq ADC)
  2. Verify whether Packet Filtering is enabled on any self IP addresses
    Run `tmsh list /net self all` and look for the `packet-filtering` option in each self IP configuration, or check via the web UI under Network > Self IPs > select each self IP > examine the Packet Filtering setting
    Affected if Any self IP address has Packet Filtering enabled

You are affected only if you are running one of the listed product versions AND have Packet Filtering enabled on at least one virtual server or self IP address, as the vulnerability requires both conditions to be 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.

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

Apply the relevant F5 hotfixes (11.2.x HF16, 11.5.x HF2, 11.6.x HF1, 12.x HF3) or upgrade to supported versions. Alternatively, disable Packet Filtering on affected virtual servers and self IP addresses if immediate patching is not feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

F5 BIG-IP/BIG-IQ: Apply the version-specific hotfix (11.2.1 HF16, 11.5.4 HF2, 11.6.1 HF1, or 12.0.0 HF3 depending on your product line and base version)

  1. 1. Identify the exact BIG-IP or BIG-IQ product version currently installed using 'tmsh show sys version' or the web UI.
  2. 2. Determine which product line and version family applies (LTM/ASM/APM/Link Controller/GTM/etc.).
  3. 3. Download and apply the appropriate F5 hotfix as specified in the official description: for 11.2.x apply 11.2.1 HF16; for 11.3.x/11.4.x apply 11.5.4 HF2; for 11.5.x apply 11.5.4 HF2; for 11.6.x apply 11.6.1 HF1; for 12.x apply 12.0.0 HF3.
  4. 4. For BIG-IQ devices: apply the corresponding hotfix for versions 4.0.0-4.5.0 as listed in F5 K88162175.
  5. 5. After applying the hotfix, verify the fix by checking 'tmsh show sys version' confirms the new HF version is installed.
  6. 6. Test packet filtering functionality to ensure normal operations resume.
Caveat Hotfixes are generally low-risk but should be tested in a staging environment first; some hotfixes may require a TMOS reboot which causes brief service interruption

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

Fix this in Big Ip Link Controller Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $6,100
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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-2016-5022 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What belongs here
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