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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 3 May 2022. Known ransomware use
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2020-5902

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-07-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.6.5.2 / 12.1.5.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit 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
In BIG-IP versions 15.0.0-15.1.0.3, 14.1.0-14.1.2.5, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, and 11.6.1-11.6.5.1, the Traffic Management User Interface (TMUI), also referred to as the Configuration utility, has a Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in undisclosed pages.

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

F5 BIG-IP Traffic Management User Interface (TMUI) contains a remote code execution vulnerability in undisclosed pages, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying system through the web management interface.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for affected versions (15.1.0.4+, 14.1.2.6+, 13.1.3.4+, 12.1.5.2+, 11.6.5.2+) or disable TMUI/Configuration utility access from untrusted networks until patching is feasible.

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, < 11.6.5.2>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.6>= 15.0.0, <= 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.4
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.2>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.6>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.4
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.2>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.6>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.4
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.2>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.6>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.4
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.2>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.6>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.4
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.2>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.6>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.4
Big Ip Ddos Hybrid DefenderApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.2>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.6>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.4
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.2>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.6>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.4

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
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Identify F5 BIG-IP system
    Log into the BIG-IP command line and run 'tmsh show sys version' or check the TMUI login page for F5 branding
    Affected if System is confirmed to be a F5 BIG-IP device
  2. Determine installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' on the command line, or access System > Software Management > ISO Image in the TMUI to view the installed version
    Affected if Version number falls within any of these ranges: 11.6.1 to 11.6.5.1, 12.1.0 to 12.1.5.1, 13.1.0 to 13.1.3.3, 14.1.0 to 14.1.2.5, 15.0.0 to 15.0.1.4, or 15.1.0 to 15.1.0.3
  3. Check if TMUI is network accessible
    From an external host, attempt to reach the TMUI (port 443 or 8443) over network. On the BIG-IP, run 'tmsh list sys httpd' to review the management interface bind address settings
    Affected if TMUI management interface is bound to 0.0.0.0 or an externally reachable address and is accessible from untrusted networks
  4. Verify exposed TMUI endpoints
    Send an HTTP request to the TMUI with a path such as '/tmui/login.jsp' or '/hsqldb' to confirm the management interface is responding
    Affected if The TMUI responds to requests on the management port from your testing location

If the system is a F5 BIG-IP device running an affected version AND the TMUI is network-accessible, the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2020-5902.

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 11.6.5.2 / 12.1.5.2 / 13.1.3.4 or later
Fixed in 11.6.5.212.1.5.213.1.3.4
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches for affected versions (15.1.0.4+, 14.1.2.6+, 13.1.3.4+, 12.1.5.2+, 11.6.5.2+) or disable TMUI/Configuration utility access from untrusted networks until patching is feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

F5 BIG-IP versions 11.6.5.2, 12.1.5.2, 13.1.3.4, 14.1.2.6, or 15.1.0.4 and later (depending on your product line)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by accessing the TMUI (Traffic Management User Interface) or running 'tmsh show sys version' on the command line.
  2. 2. Confirm the current version falls within the affected range: 11.6.1-11.6.5.1, 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, 14.1.0-14.1.2.5, or 15.0.0-15.1.0.3.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed version from the F5 Networks download portal (F5 BIG-IP 11.6.5.2, 12.1.5.2, 13.1.3.4, 14.1.2.6, or 15.1.0.4+).
  4. 4. Review F5 upgrade documentation and release notes for your specific BIG-IP product module (APM, AFM, AWAF, Analytics, AAM, ASM, DDoS Hybrid Defender, or DNS).
  5. 5. Plan maintenance window as upgrades may require service interruption.
  6. 6. Back up the current BIG-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config' command.
  7. 7. Upload the ISO image to the BIG-IP device via the TMUI or SCP.
  8. 8. Perform the upgrade following F5's recommended upgrade procedure (Volume or Hotfix installation).
Caveat Upgrades may cause temporary service disruption; always test in staging environment first and review F5 release notes for known issues and compatibility concerns before upgrading production systems

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

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2020-5902 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