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Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2018-5537

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-07-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 13.1.0.5 or later.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
A remote attacker may be able to disrupt services on F5 BIG-IP 13.0.0-13.1.0.5, 12.1.0-12.1.3.5, 11.6.0-11.6.3.1, or 11.2.1-11.5.6 if the TMM virtual server is configured with a HTML or a Rewrite profile. TMM may restart while processing some specially prepared HTML content from the back end.

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 remote denial-of-service vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP TMM (Traffic Management Microkernel) allows attackers to cause TMM restarts when specially prepared HTML content is processed through virtual servers configured with HTML or Rewrite profiles. The vulnerability affects multiple version branches from 11.2.1 through 13.1.0.5.

MitigationUpgrade F5 BIG-IP to a patched version (13.1.1+, 12.1.3.6+, 11.6.3.2+, or 11.5.7+) and review virtual server configurations to identify those using HTML or Rewrite profiles that process backend content.

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:>= 11.2.1, <= 11.5.6>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.3.1>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.5>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.0.5
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, <= 11.5.6>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.3.1>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.5>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.0.5
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, <= 11.5.6>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.3.1>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.2>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.0.5
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, <= 11.5.6>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.3.1>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.5>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.0.5
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 10.1.0, <= 11.5.6>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.3.1>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.5>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.0.5
Big Ip Edge GatewayWeb browser
Affected:>= 11.2.1, <= 11.5.6>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.3.1>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.5>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.0.5
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, <= 11.5.6>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.3.1>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.5>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.0.5
Big Ip Policy Enforcement ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.2.1, <= 11.5.6>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.3.1>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.3.5>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.0.5

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/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. Identify BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show /sys version' or check the BIG-IP web UI under Device > Overview to see the installed version
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 11.2.1-11.5.6, 11.6.0-11.6.3.1, 12.1.0-12.1.3.5, or 13.0.0-13.1.0.5
  2. List all virtual servers
    Run 'tmsh list /ltm virtual' to enumerate all configured virtual servers
    Affected if Any virtual servers exist on the device
  3. Check for HTML profile on virtual servers
    Run 'tmsh list /ltm virtual <name> profiles' for each virtual server, or use 'tmsh list /ltm profile html' to list all HTML profiles and see which virtual servers reference them
    Affected if Any virtual server has an HTML profile assigned
  4. Check for Rewrite profile on virtual servers
    Run 'tmsh list /ltm profile rewrite' to list all Rewrite profiles, then check which virtual servers have them assigned via 'tmsh list /ltm virtual <name> profiles'
    Affected if Any virtual server has a Rewrite profile assigned
  5. Verify profile processes backend content
    Review the virtual server configuration in the web UI or via 'tmsh list /ltm virtual' to confirm the HTML or Rewrite profile is set to process response content from backend servers
    Affected if The HTML or Rewrite profile is configured to modify response content

You are affected if your BIG-IP runs any version from 11.2.1 through 13.1.0.5 and has virtual servers configured with HTML or Rewrite profiles that process backend response content.

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 13.1.0.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade F5 BIG-IP to a patched version (13.1.1+, 12.1.3.6+, 11.6.3.2+, or 11.5.7+) and review virtual server configurations to identify those using HTML or Rewrite profiles that process backend content.

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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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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-2018-5537 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