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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2020-5886

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 setup for connection mirroring in a High Availability (HA) pair transfers 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 · high confidence

On vulnerable BIG-IP versions (12.1.x-15.1.x), connection mirroring between High Availability (HA) pair devices transmits sensitive cryptographic objects (keys, certificates) over an insecure communications channel. This control plane vulnerability is exposed only on the dedicated network used for connection mirroring.

MitigationIsolate the connection mirroring network from untrusted traffic, and apply vendor patches or upgrade to fixed versions. Until patched, ensure the mirroring network is on an isolated, trusted VLAN.

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 installed BIG-IP version
    Run `tmsh show sys version` or check the BIG-IP GUI under System > Software. Note the exact version number (for example 14.1.2.3).
    Affected if The installed 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 is configured
    Run `tmsh show sys ha status` or check the GUI under Device Management > Devices. Verify that this device is part of an HA pair (active/standby configuration).
    Affected if The device is part of an active-standby HA pair.
  3. Check if connection mirroring is enabled
    Run `tmsh show /sys connection mirroring` or inspect the HA configuration in the GUI under Device Management > High Availability. Look for connection mirror settings.
    Affected if Connection mirroring is explicitly enabled on the HA pair.
  4. Inspect the mirroring network configuration
    Run `tmsh list /sys db mirror.ip` and `tmsh list /sys db mirror.peer.ip` to identify the IP addresses used for mirroring. Verify the network segment using `tmsh list /net self-allow` or by reviewing the VLAN assignment for the mirroring interface.
    Affected if The mirroring traffic traverses a network that is not isolated from untrusted traffic, or the mirroring network is shared with other traffic.

You are affected if your BIG-IP version is within the listed ranges AND you have an HA pair with connection mirroring enabled, regardless of whether the mirroring network is currently isolated.

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 15.1.0.1
Interim mitigation

Isolate the connection mirroring network from untrusted traffic, and apply vendor patches or upgrade to fixed versions. Until patched, ensure the mirroring network is on an isolated, trusted VLAN.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIG-IP 15.1.0.2 or later (or the latest hotfixed releases for 14.1.x and 13.1.x that include the security fix)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' on the command line
  2. 2. Determine which BIG-IP modules (APM, AFM, Analytics, AAM, ASM, DNS, FPS, GTM) are in use by checking 'tmsh list sys module'
  3. 3. Verify the HA pair configuration by checking the connection mirroring settings: 'tmsh show ltm failover' or via the web UI under Device Management > High Availability
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade, ensuring both HA devices can be upgraded
  5. 5. Upgrade the primary (active) BIG-IP device to version 15.1.0.2 or later (or the latest available 14.1.x and 13.1.x releases that include the fix)
  6. 6. After the primary device is upgraded and synchronized, upgrade the secondary (standby) device
  7. 7. Verify that connection mirroring is working properly after upgrade by checking failover status and testing traffic
  8. 8. Confirm the fix by verifying that cryptographic objects are now transmitted over a secure channel (this may require packet capture verification on the mirroring network)
Caveat When upgrading major versions (e.g., 12.1.x to 15.1.x), review the release notes for potential configuration changes and ensure compatibility with existing policies and profiles

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

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2020-5886 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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