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Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2016-9245

MEDIUM · 5.9 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-03-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
In F5 BIG-IP systems 12.1.0 - 12.1.2, malicious requests made to virtual servers with an HTTP profile can cause the TMM to restart. The issue is exposed with BIG-IP APM profiles, regardless of settings. The issue is also exposed with the non-default "Normalize URI" configuration options used in iRules and/or BIG-IP LTM policies. An attacker may be able to disrupt traffic or cause the BIG-IP system to fail over to another device in the device group.

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

A denial-of-service vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP 12.1.0-12.1.2 allows malicious HTTP requests to virtual servers with HTTP profiles to crash the TMM (Traffic Management Microkernel), causing service disruption and potential failover to backup devices. The vulnerability is exposed when BIG-IP APM profiles are attached to virtual servers or when the non-default 'Normalize URI' option is enabled in iRules or LTM policies.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP systems to a patched version (12.1.2 HF1 or later) or disable affected features (APM profiles or Normalize URI settings) on vulnerable virtual servers until patching is 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 Local Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Link ControllerApplication
Affected:= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or check the web UI under 'System > Software Management > Image List' to confirm the installed version is 12.1.0, 12.1.1, or 12.1.2
    Affected if Version is exactly 12.1.0, 12.1.1, or 12.1.2
  2. Locate virtual servers with HTTP profiles
    In the BIG-IP Configuration Utility, navigate to 'Local Traffic > Virtual Servers' and identify virtual servers that have an HTTP profile assigned under the 'Resources' tab
    Affected if Virtual servers have HTTP profiles configured
  3. Check for attached APM profiles
    For each virtual server with an HTTP profile, view the 'Virtual Server' properties and check the 'Access Policy' section to see if an APM profile is assigned
    Affected if An APM profile is attached to a virtual server with an HTTP profile
  4. Check for Normalize URI in iRules
    Navigate to 'Local Traffic > iRules' and review each iRule assigned to affected virtual servers. Look for the 'normalize_uri' command which enables the Normalize URI option
    Affected if Any iRule assigned to a virtual server with an HTTP profile contains the 'normalize_uri' command
  5. Check for Normalize URI in LTM policies
    Navigate to 'Local Traffic > Policies' and examine each policy assigned to affected virtual servers. Inspect policy rules for URI normalization actions
    Affected if An LTM policy assigned to a virtual server with an HTTP profile enables URI normalization

The environment is affected if the BIG-IP version is 12.1.0, 12.1.1, or 12.1.2 AND any virtual server has an HTTP profile with either an APM profile attached or Normalize URI enabled in an iRule or LTM policy.

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 BIG-IP systems to a patched version (12.1.2 HF1 or later) or disable affected features (APM profiles or Normalize URI settings) on vulnerable virtual servers until patching is feasible.

Fix this in Big Ip Local Traffic Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2016-9245 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data