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Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2018-15330

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-12-20
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
On BIG-IP 14.0.0-14.0.0.2, 13.0.0-13.1.1.1, or 12.1.0-12.1.3.7, when a virtual server using the inflate functionality to process a gzip bomb as a payload, the BIG-IP system will experience a fatal error and may cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to produce a core 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

A denial of service vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP allows remote attackers to crash the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) by sending a specially crafted gzip bomb to a virtual server that uses the inflate functionality for payload decompression, causing a fatal error and potential core file generation.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to a version beyond 14.0.0.2, 13.1.1.1, or 12.1.3.7; alternatively, disable inflate functionality on affected virtual servers if not required.

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, <= 12.1.3.7>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.7>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.7>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.7>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.7>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.7>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.7>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.1.1>= 14.0.0, <= 14.0.0.2
Big Ip Edge GatewayWeb browser
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.7>= 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 version
    Run 'tmsh show /sys version' or view System > Software Management in the GUI to identify the installed BIG-IP version
    Affected if The installed version falls within 12.1.0-12.1.3.7, 13.0.0-13.1.1.1, or 14.0.0-14.0.0.2
  2. Identify virtual servers with compression profiles
    Run 'tmsh list /ltm virtual' to list all virtual servers, then inspect each virtual server's profile configuration with 'tmsh list /ltm virtual <name> profiles'
    Affected if Any virtual server has an HTTP compression profile enabled that includes inflate decompression capability
  3. Confirm inflate functionality is enabled
    Examine the compression profile settings using 'tmsh list /ltm profile http-compression' and look for the 'inflate' or 'decompression' setting within the profile
    Affected if The inflate or decompression feature is explicitly enabled in a compression profile attached to a virtual server
  4. Check for TMM crashes or core files
    Review /var/log/ltm for fatal error messages related to TMM, or check /var/core for core file generation indicating a crash
    Affected if TMM has crashed or core dumps exist matching the timeframe of gzip bomb exposure

The environment is affected if BIG-IP version is within 12.1.0-12.1.3.7, 13.0.0-13.1.1.1, or 14.0.0-14.0.0.2 AND any virtual server has inflate decompression enabled in its compression 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 a version beyond 14.0.0.2, 13.1.1.1, or 12.1.3.7; alternatively, disable inflate functionality on affected virtual servers if not required.

Fix this in Big Ip Local Traffic Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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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-2018-15330 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