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Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2017-6161

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-10-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 11.5.4 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 LTM, AAM, AFM, Analytics, APM, ASM, DNS, Edge Gateway, GTM, Link Controller, PEM, WebAccelerator software version 12.0.0 - 12.1.2, 11.6.0 - 11.6.1, 11.4.0 - 11.5.4, 11.2.1, when ConfigSync is configured, attackers on adjacent networks may be able to bypass the TLS protections usually used to encrypted and authenticate connections to mcpd. This vulnerability may allow remote attackers to cause a denial-of-service (DoS) attack via resource exhaustion.

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 · moderate confidence

When F5 BIG-IP ConfigSync is configured, an adjacent network attacker can bypass TLS protections for the mcpd (management daemon) process, allowing remote attackers to cause a denial-of-service via resource exhaustion.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched F5 BIG-IP version and review ConfigSync security settings to ensure proper TLS enforcement for management traffic.

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:>= 11.5.0, <= 11.5.4= 11.2.1= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.0, <= 11.5.4= 11.2.1= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.0, <= 11.5.4= 11.2.1= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.0, <= 11.5.4= 11.2.1= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.0, <= 11.5.4= 11.2.1= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Link ControllerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.0, <= 11.5.4= 11.2.1= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Policy Enforcement ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.0, <= 11.5.4= 11.2.1= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 11.4.0, <= 11.5.4= 11.2.1= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 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
Adjacent
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:A/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. Check if ConfigSync is enabled
    Log into the BIG-IP Configuration Utility and navigate to Device Management > Device Groups, or run 'tmsh show sys sync' from the command line to see if ConfigSync is configured and active.
    Affected if ConfigSync is configured and actively syncing between devices
  2. Identify the BIG-IP software version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or 'bigpipe version' from the command line, or view the version in the BIG-IP Configuration Utility under Dashboard > General Properties.
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions listed in the CVE (11.2.1, 11.4.0-11.5.4, 11.6.0-11.6.1, 12.0.0-12.1.2)
  3. Verify management daemon (mcpd) listener configuration
    Check the mcpd process listener status by examining the output of 'tmsh list sys management-ip' and review whether the management interface is exposed to adjacent network segments.
    Affected if The management interface is accessible from an adjacent network and ConfigSync is using the management path for synchronization
  4. Confirm ConfigSync transport method
    Review the Device Group configuration in the Configuration Utility under Device Management > Device Groups > choose your group > Configuration, or run 'tmsh show sys device-group <name>' to see if ConfigSync uses the management network.
    Affected if ConfigSync is configured to use the management network rather than the internal tunnel for synchronization

The environment is affected if ConfigSync is configured on a BIG-IP device running a version within 11.2.1, 11.4.0-11.5.4, 11.6.0-11.6.1, or 12.0.0-12.1.2, and the management interface is accessible to adjacent attackers.

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 11.5.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to a patched F5 BIG-IP version and review ConfigSync security settings to ensure proper TLS enforcement for management traffic.

Fix this in Big Ip Local Traffic Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,330
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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-2017-6161 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