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Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2019-6649

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-09-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 13.1.1 or later.
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
F5 BIG-IP 15.0.0, 14.1.0-14.1.0.6, 14.0.0-14.0.0.5, 13.0.0-13.1.1.5, 12.1.0-12.1.4.1, 11.6.0-11.6.4, and 11.5.1-11.5.9 and Enterprise Manager 3.1.1 may expose sensitive information and allow the system configuration to be modified when using non-default ConfigSync settings.

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

F5 BIG-IP and Enterprise Manager contain a vulnerability in the ConfigSync (Configuration Synchronization) feature when non-default settings are used. This improper configuration handling allows unauthorized actors to potentially expose sensitive system information and modify the device configuration without proper authentication or authorization.

MitigationReview and harden ConfigSync settings to non-default configurations, apply F5 security patches for affected versions, and verify that synchronization traffic is properly isolated and authenticated. Consider disabling ConfigSync if not required or implementing additional network-level controls.

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 Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.5.9>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.4>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.1= 14.0.0= 14.1.0= 15.0.0
Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.5.9>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.4>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.1= 14.0.0= 14.1.0= 15.0.0
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.5.9>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.4>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.1= 14.0.0= 14.1.0= 15.0.0
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.5.9>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.4>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.1= 14.0.0= 14.1.0= 15.0.0
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.5.9>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.4>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.1= 14.0.0= 14.1.0= 15.0.0
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.5.9>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.4>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.1= 14.0.0= 14.1.0= 15.0.0
Big Ip Edge GatewayWeb browser
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.5.9>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.4>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.1= 14.0.0= 14.1.0= 15.0.0
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.5.9>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.4>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.4>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.1= 14.0.0= 14.1.0= 15.0.0

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
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

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 installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or check the BIG-IP web UI under System > Software > Image List to determine the installed version
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 11.5.2-11.5.9, 11.6.1-11.6.4, 12.1.0-12.1.4, 13.1.0-13.1.1, 14.0.0, 14.1.0, or 15.0.0
  2. Determine which BIG-IP modules are licensed
    Run 'tmsh list sys module' or check System > License in the web UI to list all licensed modules
    Affected if Any of these modules are licensed: Application Security Manager, Local Traffic Manager, Advanced Firewall Manager, Analytics, Access Policy Manager, Domain Name System, Edge Gateway, or Fraud Protection Service
  3. Check if ConfigSync is enabled
    Run 'tmsh show /cm sync-status' or access Device Management > Device Groups in the web UI to see if ConfigSync is configured and active
    Affected if ConfigSync is configured and actively synchronizing between devices in a device group
  4. Review ConfigSync configuration settings
    Run 'tmsh list /cm device-group' to inspect device group properties, or check Device Management > Device Groups > Properties in the web UI for sync and failover settings
    Affected if Non-default ConfigSync settings are in use, such as custom sync groups, modified failover settings, or manually configured sync addresses

You are affected if your BIG-IP version matches one of the listed affected versions AND ConfigSync is enabled with non-default settings.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 13.1.1
Interim mitigation

Review and harden ConfigSync settings to non-default configurations, apply F5 security patches for affected versions, and verify that synchronization traffic is properly isolated and authenticated. Consider disabling ConfigSync if not required or implementing additional network-level controls.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to BIG-IP 15.1.x, 14.1.1+, or 13.1.2+ (or the latest available stable version within your major version branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the web UI (System > Software > Image List)
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on your current major version - plan to upgrade to the next stable release within your major version branch
  3. 3. Download the fixed version from F5 Downloads (https://downloads.f5.com) - target version 11.5.10+, 11.6.5+, 12.1.5+, 13.1.2+, 14.1.0.7+, 14.1.1+, or 15.0.1+
  4. 4. Upload the ISO image to the BIG-IP using 'tmsh install sys software' or via the web UI (Software > Image Upload)
  5. 5. Create a boot partition for the new image using 'tmsh install sys software volume'
  6. 6. Before rebooting, review ConfigSync settings (Device Management > Device > Device Connectivity > ConfigSync) and ensure they follow F5 best practices - use secure communication channels and restrict sync traffic to trusted devices
  7. 7. Reboot the device to boot into the new version using 'tmsh reboot'
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify the system is running the fixed version with 'tmsh show sys version'
Caveat Review F5 release notes for version-specific changes; some upgrades may require careful migration planning especially between major versions

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

Fix this in Big Ip Application Security Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,800
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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-2019-6649 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