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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2017-6165

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-10-20
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
In F5 BIG-IP LTM, AAM, AFM, Analytics, APM, ASM, DNS, GTM, Link Controller, PEM, and WebSafe 11.5.1 HF6 through 11.5.4 HF4, 11.6.0 through 11.6.1 HF1, and 12.0.0 through 12.1.2 on VIPRION platforms only, the script which synchronizes SafeNet External Network HSM configuration elements between blades in a clustered deployment will log the HSM partition password in cleartext to the "/var/log/ltm" log file.

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

In F5 BIG-IP on VIPRION platforms running affected versions (11.5.1 HF6-11.5.4 HF4, 11.6.0-11.6.1 HF1, 12.0.0-12.1.2), the script that synchronizes SafeNet External Network HSM configuration between blades in a clustered deployment logs the HSM partition password in cleartext to /var/log/ltm, exposing sensitive credentials.

MitigationUpdate to a patched F5 version beyond 12.1.2, 11.6.1 HF1, or 11.5.4 HF4; rotate exposed HSM passwords; audit and purge /var/log/ltm for leaked credentials.

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 Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3= 11.5.4= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3= 11.5.4= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3= 11.5.4= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.2.0
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3= 11.5.4= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3= 11.5.4= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3= 11.5.4= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3= 11.5.4= 11.6.0= 11.6.1= 12.0.0= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2
Big Ip Link ControllerApplication
Affected:= 11.5.1= 11.5.2= 11.5.3= 11.5.4= 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
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 hardware platform
    Run 'tmsh show sys hardware' or check the system inventory to determine if the device is a VIPRION chassis. Look for VIPRION in the platform model name.
    Affected if The system is NOT a VIPRION platform - the vulnerability only affects VIPRION clustered deployments.
  2. Check the installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or view the system information in the web UI to obtain the exact version number including HF (hotfix) level.
    Affected if The version falls within 11.5.1 HF6 through 11.5.4 HF4, 11.6.0 through 11.6.1 HF1, or 12.0.0 through 12.1.2.
  3. Verify SafeNet External Network HSM is configured
    Check if the HSM is in use by running 'tmsh list sys crypto hsm' or checking the HSM configuration via the web UI under Security > Hardware > External HSM.
    Affected if A SafeNet External Network HSM is NOT configured - the vulnerability only exposes credentials when this feature is active.
  4. Inspect /var/log/ltm for cleartext HSM passwords
    Search the log file for HSM partition password exposure: run 'grep -i "partition" /var/log/ltm' or 'grep -i "hsm" /var/log/ltm' and examine any entries that may contain password strings in cleartext.
    Affected if Plaintext HSM partition passwords are found in the log file - this confirms the vulnerability has been triggered.

A user is affected if they are running a vulnerable BIG-IP version on VIPRION hardware with a SafeNet External Network HSM configured, as indicated by cleartext passwords in /var/log/ltm.

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

Update to a patched F5 version beyond 12.1.2, 11.6.1 HF1, or 11.5.4 HF4; rotate exposed HSM passwords; audit and purge /var/log/ltm for leaked credentials.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIG-IP 11.5.4 HF5 / 11.6.1 HF2 / 12.1.3 / 13.0.0 (depending on your current major version)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the web UI at System > Software > Image List
  2. 2. For BIG-IP 11.5.x versions: Upgrade to BIG-IP 11.5.4 HF5 or later
  3. 3. For BIG-IP 11.6.x versions: Upgrade to BIG-IP 11.6.1 HF2 or later
  4. 4. For BIG-IP 12.0.x - 12.1.x versions: Upgrade to BIG-IP 12.1.3 or later
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the fix by checking that /var/log/ltm no longer contains HSM partition passwords in cleartext
  6. 6. Review all log files for any existing cleartext passwords and rotate logs or remove sensitive entries if found
Caveat Upgrading between major versions (e.g., 11.5.x to 12.x or 13.x) may require configuration review and could introduce feature changes; test thoroughly in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy 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-2017-6165 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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