dbcve.org
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2020-5880

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 15.0.1.3 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
Om BIG-IP 15.0.0-15.0.1.3 and 14.1.0-14.1.2.3, the restjavad process may expose a way for attackers to upload arbitrary files on the BIG-IP system, bypassing the authorization system. Resulting error messages may also reveal internal paths of the server.

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

In BIG-IP 15.0.0-15.0.1.3 and 14.1.0-14.1.2.3, the restjavad REST Java daemon contains a vulnerability that allows authenticated or unauthenticated attackers to bypass authorization checks and upload arbitrary files to the system. Additionally, error messages generated by this vulnerability can leak internal server paths, potentially aiding further attacks.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch by upgrading BIG-IP to version 15.1.2.4 or later (for 15.x) and 14.1.2.4 or later (for 14.x). Review access controls and monitor for suspicious file uploads or unusual error messages in logs.

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
Affected:>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.0.1.3
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.0.1.3
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.0.1.3
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.0.1.3
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.0.1.3
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.0.1.3
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.0.1.3
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.0.1.3

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or check the BIG-IP web UI under System > Software > Image List to view the installed version
    Affected if The version falls within 14.1.0-14.1.2.3 or 15.0.0-15.0.1.3
  2. Verify restjavad service status
    Check if the restjavad service is running using 'tmsh show sys service restjavad' or by reviewing running processes
    Affected if The restjavad service is running and accessible (this is the vulnerable component)
  3. Inspect logs for unauthorized file upload attempts
    Review /var/log/restjavad.log (or equivalent) for entries containing unusual file upload paths, POST requests to upload endpoints, or unexpected file creation events
    Affected if Log entries show unexpected file uploads or requests to upload endpoints that were not initiated by legitimate administrators
  4. Check for path leakage in error responses
    Monitor HTTP responses from the REST API for error messages that reveal internal server paths such as /var/opt/ or /usr/share/
    Affected if Error responses expose internal file system paths that should not be visible to users

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable BIG-IP version (14.1.0-14.1.2.3 or 15.0.0-15.0.1.3) with the restjavad service exposed, and evidence of unauthorized file uploads or path leakage is found in logs or responses.

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 15.0.1.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch by upgrading BIG-IP to version 15.1.2.4 or later (for 15.x) and 14.1.2.4 or later (for 14.x). Review access controls and monitor for suspicious file uploads or unusual error messages in logs.

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy 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.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5880 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2020-5880 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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