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Big Iq Centralized ManagementApplication · F5

CVE-2020-5890

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.1.2.4 / 15.1.0.2 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 BIG-IP 15.0.0-15.0.1, 14.1.0-14.1.2.3, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, and 12.1.0-12.1.5.1 and BIG-IQ 5.2.0-7.1.0, when creating a QKView, credentials for binding to LDAP servers used for remote authentication of the BIG-IP administrative interface will not fully obfuscate if they contain whitespace.

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 affected BIG-IP and BIG-IQ versions, the QKView diagnostic tool fails to properly obfuscate LDAP binding credentials when those credentials contain whitespace characters. This causes credentials to be incompletely redacted in QKView output, potentially exposing sensitive LDAP authentication credentials to parties with access to diagnostic files.

MitigationUpgrade to BIG-IP 15.1.0+ or 14.1.2.4+ (or later) and BIG-IQ 7.1.1+ (or later). As a workaround, avoid using whitespace in LDAP binding passwords, and restrict access to QKView output files.

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 Iq Centralized ManagementApplication
Affected:>= 5.2.0, <= 5.4.0>= 6.0.0, <= 6.1.0= 7.0.0
Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.0.0, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.2
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.0.0, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.2
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.0.0, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.2
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.0.0, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.2
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.0.0, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.2
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.0.0, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.2
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3.3>= 14.0.0, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check BIG-IP or BIG-IQ product version
    Run `tmsh show sys version` or check the System > Software Management > ISO Image version in the web UI to identify the exact version number
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: BIG-IP 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, 14.0.0-14.1.2.3, 15.0.0-15.1.0.1; or BIG-IQ 5.2.0-5.4.0, 6.0.0-6.1.0, or 7.0.0
  2. Verify LDAP authentication is configured
    Check the authentication configuration via `tmsh list auth ldap` or inspect the System > Authentication > LDAP settings in the web UI
    Affected if LDAP authentication is enabled and a bind DN or bind password is configured for directory integration
  3. Check if LDAP bind password contains whitespace
    Review the LDAP bind password configuration. Whitespace characters (spaces, tabs, newlines) in the password trigger the incomplete redaction
    Affected if The LDAP binding password includes one or more space, tab, or other whitespace characters
  4. Inspect existing QKView output for exposed credentials
    Locate any existing QKView files (typically in `/var/tmp/` or exported diagnostics) and search for partial password patterns. Run `grep -i "bind" <qkview_file>` or extract the diagnostic and search for unredacted credential strings
    Affected if The QKView output contains partially visible LDAP passwords instead of fully obfuscated values (e.g., asterisks with partial readable characters)

You are affected if your BIG-IP/BIG-IQ version is within the affected ranges AND LDAP authentication is configured with a bind password containing whitespace characters, and QKView output may contain exposed credentials.

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 14.1.2.4 / 15.1.0.2 or later
Fixed in 14.1.2.415.1.0.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to BIG-IP 15.1.0+ or 14.1.2.4+ (or later) and BIG-IQ 7.1.1+ (or later). As a workaround, avoid using whitespace in LDAP binding passwords, and restrict access to QKView output files.

Fix this in Big Iq Centralized Management Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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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-2020-5890 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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