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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2020-5907

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-07-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 15.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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, 14.1.0-14.1.2.3, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, and 11.6.1-11.6.5.1, an authorized user provided with access only to the TMOS Shell (tmsh) may be able to conduct arbitrary file read/writes via the built-in sftp functionality.

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 versions 11.6.1-15.1.0.3, an authorized user with only TMOS Shell (tmsh) access can perform arbitrary file read and write operations via the built-in sftp functionality, enabling privilege escalation and potential system compromise.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 15.1.0.4+, 14.1.2.4+, 13.1.3.4+, 12.1.5.2+, or 11.6.5.2+ to patch this vulnerability; additionally, limit tmsh access to trusted users only and monitor for unauthorized file access attempts.

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:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:>= 11.5.2, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.2>= 15.0.0, <= 15.1.0
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.3>= 14.1.0, <= 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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. Determine BIG-IP product version
    Run the command 'tmsh show sys version' or 'bigpipe version' to retrieve the installed version
    Affected if The version falls within 11.6.1-15.1.0.3 (or specifically 11.6.1-15.1.0.3 for GTM, or 11.5.2-15.1.0.3 for other modules)
  2. Confirm affected module is installed
    Run 'tmsh list sys provision' to list installed modules (APM, AFM, ASM, Analytics, AAM, DNS, FPS, GTM)
    Affected if Any of the affected modules (APM, AFM, ASM, Analytics, AAM, DNS, FPS, GTM) are provisioned on the system
  3. Check for tmsh-accessible user accounts
    Run 'tmsh list auth user' to view user accounts and their shell access permissions
    Affected if Any user accounts have tmsh or bash shell access enabled
  4. Audit recent sftp activity
    Review system logs (via 'tmsh show sys log' or /var/log/secure) for sftp connections or file transfer activity initiated by non-administrator accounts
    Affected if SFTP connections are observed originating from accounts with only standard tmsh privileges
  5. Verify user role assignments
    Run 'tmsh list auth role' to examine role-based access control assignments and identify any non-admin roles with elevated file access capabilities
    Affected if Users are assigned roles that grant file transfer capabilities beyond their intended privilege level

A user is affected if they run BIG-IP version 11.6.1-15.1.0.3 with any affected module provisioned and have accounts with tmsh shell access, allowing privilege escalation via sftp.

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 BIG-IP to version 15.1.0.4+, 14.1.2.4+, 13.1.3.4+, 12.1.5.2+, or 11.6.5.2+ to patch this vulnerability; additionally, limit tmsh access to trusted users only and monitor for unauthorized file access attempts.

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.

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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-2020-5907 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
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