dbcve.org
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2020-5925

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-08-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.6.5.2 / 12.1.5.2 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 15.1.0-15.1.0.4, 15.0.0-15.0.1.3, 14.1.0-14.1.2.6, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, and 11.6.1-11.6.5.1, undisclosed internally generated UDP traffic may cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to restart under some circumstances.

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

A denial of service vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP allows specially crafted undisclosed internally generated UDP traffic to trigger a Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) restart. Since TMM handles all packet processing, this causes complete traffic interruption until TMM recovers.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to a patched version beyond 15.1.0.4/15.0.1.3/14.1.2.6/13.1.3.3/12.1.5.1/11.6.5.1. Schedule during maintenance window as upgrade will cause TMM restart and service interruption.

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, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5
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, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5
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, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5
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, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5
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, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5
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, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
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, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5
Big Ip Global Traffic 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, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 installed BIG-IP version
    Run command: tmsh show sys version or log into the web UI and navigate to Overview > Summary to view the system version
    Affected if The version 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 14.1.2.6, 15.0.0 to 15.0.1.3, or 15.1.0 to 15.1.0.4
  2. Determine which BIG-IP modules are licensed and running
    Run command: tmsh list sys module and check the Status column, or view System > Resource Provisioning in the web UI
    Affected if Any of these modules are provisioned: Access Policy Manager, Advanced Firewall Manager, Analytics, Application Acceleration Manager, Application Security Manager, Domain Name System, Fraud Protection Service, or Global Traffic Manager
  3. Verify UDP traffic processing is enabled
    Check for any UDP virtual servers, UDP profiles, or UDP-based services configured. Run: tmsh list ltm virtual where type is udp, or review network configuration for UDP listeners
    Affected if The system is configured to process UDP traffic (any UDP virtual server, profile, or DNS/UDP service is active)

If the BIG-IP version is within the affected ranges AND any of the listed modules are provisioned AND UDP traffic is being processed, the system is vulnerable to TMM restarts causing denial of service.

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 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

Upgrade BIG-IP to a patched version beyond 15.1.0.4/15.0.1.3/14.1.2.6/13.1.3.3/12.1.5.1/11.6.5.1. Schedule during maintenance window as upgrade will cause TMM restart and service interruption.

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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5925 — 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-2020-5925 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