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Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2017-6153

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-06-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 12.1.3 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
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
Features in F5 BIG-IP 13.0.0-13.1.0.3, 12.1.0-12.1.3.1, 11.6.1-11.6.3.1, 11.5.1-11.5.5, or 11.2.1 system that utilizes inflate functionality directly, via an iRule, or via the inflate code from PEM module are subjected to a service disruption via a "Zip Bomb" attack.

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 systems running vulnerable versions (13.0.0-13.1.0.3, 12.1.0-12.1.3.1, 11.6.1-11.6.3.1, 11.5.1-11.5.5, or 11.2.1) contain a Zip Bomb vulnerability in the inflate (decompression) functionality accessible via iRules or the PEM module. Attackers can send specially crafted compressed data that expands to consume excessive resources when decompressed, causing service disruption.

MitigationUpgrade F5 BIG-IP to a patched version (13.1.0.4+, 12.1.3.2+, 11.6.3.2+, or 11.5.6+) per F5 advisory; consider disabling unused inflate functionality in iRules if upgrade is delayed.

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 Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.1, <= 11.5.5>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.3>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3= 11.2.1= 13.0.0= 13.1.0
Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.1, <= 11.5.5>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.3>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3= 11.2.1= 13.0.0= 13.1.0
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.1, <= 11.5.5>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.3>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3= 11.2.1= 13.0.0= 13.1.0
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.1, <= 11.5.5>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.3>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3= 11.2.1= 13.0.0= 13.1.0
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.1, <= 11.5.5>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.3>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3= 11.2.1= 13.0.0= 13.1.0
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.1, <= 11.5.5>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.3>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3= 11.2.1= 13.0.0= 13.1.0
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.1, <= 11.5.5>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.3>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3= 11.2.1= 13.0.0= 13.1.0
Big Ip Edge GatewayWeb browser
Affected:>= 11.5.1, <= 11.5.5>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.3>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3= 11.2.1= 13.0.0= 13.1.0

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

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

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. Check BIG-IP version
    Run `tmsh show /sys version` or view the version in the GUI under System > Software > Volume. Alternatively, check the output of `bigstart status` or the login banner.
    Affected if The installed version matches 13.0.0-13.1.0.3, 12.1.0-12.1.3.1, 11.6.1-11.6.3.1, 11.5.1-11.5.5, or 11.2.1.
  2. Identify iRules using inflate command
    Run `tmsh list ltm rule all-properties` and search for any iRule containing the 'inflate' command in its content. Also run `tmsh show ltm rule` to list all active iRules.
    Affected if Any iRule references the inflate command and is applied to a virtual server.
  3. Check PEM module status
    Run `tmsh list /ltm policy` or check the PEM (Policy Enforcement Manager) configuration via `tmsh show /pem policy` to see if PEM policies are active.
    Affected if PEM module is deployed and actively processing traffic.
  4. Review virtual server iRule assignments
    Run `tmsh list ltm virtual all` and inspect the 'rules' field for each virtual server to see which iRules are attached.
    Affected if A virtual server has an iRule containing the inflate command assigned to it.
  5. Verify decompression processing is enabled
    Check if any profiles or policies explicitly enable decompression or data inspection by reviewing `tmsh list ltm profile http` and looking for related decompression settings.
    Affected if Decompression or data inspection profiles are configured and processing compressed content.

If the BIG-IP version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND either iRules with inflate or the PEM module are actively processing traffic, the environment is vulnerable to the Zip Bomb attack.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 12.1.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade F5 BIG-IP to a patched version (13.1.0.4+, 12.1.3.2+, 11.6.3.2+, or 11.5.6+) per F5 advisory; consider disabling unused inflate functionality in iRules if upgrade is delayed.

Fix this in Big Ip Application Acceleration Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 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-2017-6153 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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