Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5
CVE-2019-6656
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 · uneditedBIG-IP APM Edge Client before version 7.1.8 (7180.2019.508.705) logs the full apm session ID in the log files. Vulnerable versions of the client are bundled with BIG-IP APM versions 15.0.0-15.0.1, 14,1.0-14.1.0.6, 14.0.0-14.0.0.4, 13.0.0-13.1.1.5, 12.1.0-12.1.5, and 11.5.1-11.6.5. In BIG-IP APM 13.1.0 and later, the APM Clients components can be updated independently from BIG-IP software. Client version 7.1.8 (7180.2019.508.705) and later has the fix.
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 confidenceThe BIG-IP APM Edge Client versions before 7.1.8 (7180.2019.508.705) log the full APM session ID in plaintext to log files, allowing unauthorized actors to capture session identifiers through log access. This information disclosure vulnerability affects multiple BIG-IP APM versions (11.5.1-15.0.1) and can enable session hijacking attacks. Client version 7.1.8 and later contains the fix.
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
>= 11.5.2, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.0.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2>= 15.0.0, <= 15.0.1
Big Ip Access Policy Manager ClientApplication
>= 7.1.5, <= 7.1.8CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check APM Client versionRun 'tmctl -c client_version' or inspect the APM Edge Client installation. On Windows clients, check 'C:\Program Files\F5 Networks\F5 Edge Client\f5EdgeClient.exe' version properties.Affected if Client version is between 7.1.5 and 7.1.8 inclusive (versions before 7.1.8)
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Check APM software versionRun 'tmsh show sys version' or view the BIG-IP version in the web UI under Dashboard > System > Software Version.Affected if APM version falls within these ranges: 11.5.2-11.6.5, 12.1.0-12.1.5, 13.1.0-13.1.2, 14.0.0-14.0.0.4, 14.1.0-14.1.1, or 15.0.0-15.0.1
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Inspect APM logs for session IDsSearch APM log files (typically in /var/log/apm/ or via the web UI Logs menu) for patterns resembling session identifiers in plaintext. Use grep or search for 'session' entries in log files.Affected if Log files contain plaintext APM session IDs that could be harvested by an attacker with log access
The environment is affected if the APM Client version is 7.1.5 through 7.1.8 OR if the APM software version falls within the affected ranges AND the logs contain plaintext session IDs.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 data13.1.314.0.0.514.1.2
Update the BIG-IP APM Edge Client to version 7.1.8 (7180.2019.508.705) or later. In BIG-IP APM 13.1.0 and later, the client components can be updated independently from the core software.
Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-6656 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-6656 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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