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Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2018-15318

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-10-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 14.0.0.2 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 BIG-IP 14.0.0-14.0.0.2, 13.1.0.4-13.1.1.1, or 12.1.3.4-12.1.3.6, If an MPTCP connection receives an abort signal while the initial flow is not the primary flow, the initial flow will remain after the closing procedure is complete. TMM may restart and produce a core file as a result of this condition.

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 race condition in F5 BIG-IP's MPTCP (Multipath TCP) implementation causes a connection flow to remain active after an abort signal is received when the initial flow is not the primary flow. This leads to TMM (Traffic Management Microkernel) restart and core file generation, resulting in denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 14.0.0.3, 13.1.1.2, or 12.1.3.7 or later per F5's release notes, as these versions contain the fix for the MPTCP abort handling race condition.

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:>= 12.1.3.4, <= 12.1.3.6>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.3.4, <= 12.1.3.6>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.3.4, <= 12.1.3.6>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.3.4, <= 12.1.3.6>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.3.4, <= 12.1.3.6>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Protocol Security ModulePlugin / extension
Affected:>= 12.1.3.4, <= 12.1.3.6>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.3.4, <= 12.1.3.6>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Edge GatewayWeb browser
Affected:>= 12.1.3.4, <= 12.1.3.6>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/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 BIG-IP product version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or view the version in the BIG-IP GUI under Diagnostics > Support > System Information. Compare the displayed version number against the affected ranges: 12.1.3.4-12.1.3.6, 13.0.0-13.1.1.1, or 14.0.0-14.0.0.2.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the listed affected version ranges.
  2. Verify if MPTCP is enabled
    Run 'tmsh list /ltm virtual' and look for 'multipath enabled' or check the virtual server configuration via the GUI under Local Traffic > Virtual Servers. Also run 'tmsh list /ltm profile mptcp' to see if any MPTCP profiles exist.
    Affected if MPTCP profiles are configured and multipath is enabled on any virtual server.
  3. Check TMM crash logs
    Run 'tmsh show /ltm core' or inspect /var/core/ directory (accessible via bash) for any recent core dump files. Check /var/log/ltm for TMM restart messages.
    Affected if Recent TMM restarts or core dumps are present and MPTCP is in use.
  4. Confirm module deployment
    Run 'tmsh show /sys module' or check the installed modules in the BIG-IP GUI under System > Software Management > ISO Image. The affected modules include LTM, AFM, AAM, Analytics, APM, Protocol Security, and DNS.
    Affected if Any of the affected modules (LTM, AFM, AAM, Analytics, APM, Protocol Security, DNS, or Edge Gateway) are deployed on a vulnerable version.

The environment is affected if BIG-IP is running a version within 12.1.3.4-12.1.3.6, 13.0.0-13.1.1.1, or 14.0.0-14.0.0.2 AND MPTCP multipath is enabled on any virtual server or profile.

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 14.0.0.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 14.0.0.3, 13.1.1.2, or 12.1.3.7 or later per F5's release notes, as these versions contain the fix for the MPTCP abort handling race condition.

Fix this in Big Ip Local Traffic Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

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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-2018-15318 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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