dbcve.org
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2020-5922

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-08-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.1.5.2 / 13.1.3.4 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 15.0.0-15.1.0.4, 14.1.0-14.1.2.6, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, and 11.6.1-11.6.5.2, iControl REST does not implement Cross Site Request Forgery protections for users which make use of Basic Authentication in a web browser.

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 iControl REST lacks CSRF protection for users authenticating via Basic Authentication in web browsers, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that trick authenticated administrators into performing unintended administrative actions.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided patches for affected BIG-IP versions (15.1.0.5+, 14.1.2.7+, 13.1.3.4+, 12.1.5.2+, 11.6.5.3+) to implement proper CSRF token validation.

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, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.5
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.5
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.5
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.5
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.5
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.5
Big Ip Ddos Hybrid DefenderApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.5
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.2>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.1.0.5

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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 the installed BIG-IP version
    Run command 'tmsh show sys version' on the BIG-IP command line or check System > Software > Image in the web UI
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 11.6.1 to 11.6.5, 12.1.0 to 12.1.5.1, 13.1.0 to 13.1.3.3, 14.1.0 to 14.1.2.6, or 15.0.0 to 15.1.0.4
  2. Confirm iControl REST interface is accessible
    Verify that the iControl REST API endpoint is exposed by attempting to reach https://<management-ip>/mgmt/shared/authz or checking the BIG-IP configuration for restjavad service status
    Affected if The iControl REST interface is enabled and reachable on the management network or externally
  3. Check if Basic Authentication is used for web UI access
    Review the BIG-IP authentication configuration at System > Users > Authentication or inspect /config/bigip_auth.conf for 'basic' authentication methods
    Affected if Administrators authenticate to the BIG-IP web interface using Basic Authentication rather than form-based or certificate authentication

The environment is affected if the BIG-IP version is within the vulnerable ranges AND iControl REST is accessible AND administrators use Basic Authentication for browser-based access.

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 12.1.5.2 / 13.1.3.4 / 14.1.2.7 or later
Fixed in 12.1.5.213.1.3.414.1.2.7
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided patches for affected BIG-IP versions (15.1.0.5+, 14.1.2.7+, 13.1.3.4+, 12.1.5.2+, 11.6.5.3+) to implement proper CSRF token validation.

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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5922 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2020-5922 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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