Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5
CVE-2020-27722
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 · uneditedIn BIG-IP APM versions 15.0.0-15.0.1.3, 14.1.0-14.1.3, and 13.1.0-13.1.3.4, under certain conditions, the VDI plugin does not observe plugin flow-control protocol causing excessive resource consumption.
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 confidenceIn BIG-IP APM versions 15.0.0-15.0.1.3, 14.1.0-14.1.3, and 13.1.0-13.1.3.4, the VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) plugin fails to properly observe the plugin flow-control protocol under certain conditions, leading to excessive resource consumption (CPU, memory, or network).
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
>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify BIG-IP APM versionUse the command 'tmsh show /sys version' or check the BIG-IP web UI under System > Software Management > Installed Versions to determine the exact APM version running in your environment.Affected if The installed version falls within 13.1.0-13.1.3.4, 14.1.0-14.1.3.0, or 15.0.0-15.0.1.3.
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Confirm APM module is licensed and provisionedRun 'tmsh list sys provision' or check the BIG-IP web UI under System > Resource Provisioning to verify the Access Policy Manager module is provisioned.Affected if APM is provisioned and the version is within the affected ranges listed in step 1.
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Verify VDI plugin is in useReview APM access policies and connectivity profiles for VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) configurations. Check via 'tmsh list /apm profile/connector' or inspect the web UI under Access > Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.Affected if VDI connector profiles or VDI-related access policies are configured on the affected APM version.
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Check for resource exhaustion symptomsMonitor system metrics via 'tmsh show /sys cpu', 'tmsh show /sys memory', and review network traffic stats for unusual consumption patterns that may indicate the flow-control flaw.Affected if Excessive CPU, memory, or network usage is observed on the BIG-IP device while VDI connections are active, and the version is within affected ranges.
You are affected if BIG-IP APM is running a version between 13.1.0-13.1.3.4, 14.1.0-14.1.3.0, or 15.0.0-15.0.1.3 AND the VDI plugin feature is configured and active.
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 data13.1.3.514.1.3.115.0.1.4
Upgrade BIG-IP APM to a version beyond 15.0.1.3, 14.1.3, or 13.1.3.4 that includes the fix; alternatively, contact F5 Networks for the applicable patch and review VDI plugin configurations to minimize exposure until patching is complete.
Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-27722 — 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-2020-27722 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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