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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2020-5885

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 15.1.0.1 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
On versions 15.0.0-15.1.0.1, 14.1.0-14.1.2.3, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, and 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, BIG-IP systems set up for connection mirroring in a high availability (HA) pair transfer sensitive cryptographic objects over an insecure communications channel. This is a control plane issue which is exposed only on the network used for connection mirroring.

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

On BIG-IP systems (versions 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, 14.1.0-14.1.2.3, and 15.0.0-15.1.0.1) configured for connection mirroring in HA pairs, sensitive cryptographic objects are transferred over an insecure communications channel on the mirroring network. This control plane vulnerability allows interception of cryptographic material during HA synchronization.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP systems to versions beyond the affected ranges (15.1.0.2+, 14.1.2.4+, 13.1.3.4+, 12.1.5.2+) and ensure the connection mirroring network is isolated from untrusted networks.

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:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0.1
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0.1
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0.1
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0.1
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0.1
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0.1
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0.1
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2.3>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0.1

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 BIG-IP version
    Run `tmsh show /sys version` or check `/etc/product_version` to obtain the installed BIG-IP version
    Affected if The version falls within 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, 14.1.0-14.1.2.3, or 15.0.0-15.1.0.1
  2. Confirm HA pair configuration
    Run `tmsh show /cm device` to verify the device is part of a device group/HA cluster
    Affected if The system is configured as an HA pair or device group with active failover
  3. Verify connection mirroring is enabled
    Run `tmsh list /cm device <device-name>` and look for `mirroring` or `connection-mirroring` settings under the device configuration
    Affected if Connection mirroring is enabled and configured between the HA devices
  4. Check mirroring network isolation
    Review network configuration to determine if the mirroring network (typically the HA or internal network) is properly isolated from untrusted networks
    Affected if The mirroring network is accessible to untrusted segments or not cryptographically protected

You are affected if your BIG-IP version is within the affected ranges AND connection mirroring is enabled on an HA pair, with the mirroring traffic traversing an insecure or poorly isolated network.

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 15.1.0.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP systems to versions beyond the affected ranges (15.1.0.2+, 14.1.2.4+, 13.1.3.4+, 12.1.5.2+) and ensure the connection mirroring network is isolated from untrusted networks.

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy 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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,080.

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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-2020-5885 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