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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2020-5892

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 15.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
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
In versions 7.1.5-7.1.8, the BIG-IP Edge Client components in BIG-IP APM, Edge Gateway, and FirePass legacy allow attackers to obtain the full session ID from process memory.

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 Edge Client components for versions 7.1.5-7.1.8, an attacker with local access or the ability to read process memory can extract the full session ID, enabling session hijacking. This is an information disclosure vulnerability in the APM, Edge Gateway, and FirePass legacy client components.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of BIG-IP (7.1.9 or later). If immediate patching is not feasible, implement additional session security controls such as IP binding, frequent session rotation, and enhanced monitoring for anomalous access patterns.

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:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.3>= 14.0.0, <= 14.1.2>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0
Big Ip Access Policy Manager ClientApplication
Affected:>= 7.1.5, <= 7.1.8
Big Ip Edge GatewayWeb browser
Affected:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.0.0, <= 13.1.3>= 14.0.0, <= 14.1.2>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Check APM Client version
    On Windows or macOS clients, check the installed BIG-IP Edge Client version via Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or Applications folder (macOS). The executable is typically named 'F5 Networks Client' or similar. Use 'f5fpc -v' command if the client CLI is available.
    Affected if Version is 7.1.5 through 7.1.8 inclusive
  2. Check BIG-IP APM module version
    On the BIG-IP appliance, run 'tmsh show sys module' or 'tmsh list sys version' to identify the APM module version. Alternatively, check /usr/libexec/f5-version or use 'bigstart status apm'.
    Affected if APM version falls within 11.6.1-11.6.5, 12.1.0-12.1.5, 13.0.0-13.1.3, 14.0.0-14.1.2, or 15.0.0-15.1.0
  3. Verify Edge Gateway component is provisioned
    Run 'tmsh show sys provision' or check System > Utilities > Provisioning in the web UI to confirm APM or Edge Gateway module is provisioned and running.
    Affected if APM or Edge Gateway is provisioned and version is within affected ranges
  4. Check for active APM sessions
    Use 'tmsh show apm session all' or access the APM session table via Configuration > Access Policy > Active Sessions to view current sessions. The vulnerability allows extraction of session IDs from process memory.
    Affected if Active APM sessions exist and the client/gateway version is within affected ranges

The environment is affected if BIG-IP Edge Client (7.1.5-7.1.8) or APM/Edge Gateway (within the listed version ranges) is deployed and handling active sessions, with local access available to read process memory.

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
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of BIG-IP (7.1.9 or later). If immediate patching is not feasible, implement additional session security controls such as IP binding, frequent session rotation, and enhanced monitoring for anomalous access patterns.

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2020-5892 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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