CVE-2020-5926
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 · uneditedIn BIG-IP versions 15.1.0-15.1.0.4, 15.0.0-15.0.1.3, and 14.1.0-14.1.2.6, a BIG-IP virtual server with a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) ALG profile, parsing SIP messages that contain a multi-part MIME payload with certain boundary strings can cause TMM to free memory to the wrong cache.
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 confidenceThis is a memory corruption vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP's SIP ALG (Session Initiation Protocol Application Layer Gateway) profile. When the TMM (Traffic Management Microkernel) parses SIP messages containing multi-part MIME payloads with specific boundary strings, it incorrectly frees memory to the wrong cache, leading to potential memory corruption and potential remote code execution or denial of service.
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>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.2.7>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.5CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check BIG-IP versionRun command 'tmsh show /sys version' or 'tmsh show /sys software' to obtain the installed BIG-IP versionAffected if The installed version falls within >= 14.1.0 and < 14.1.2.7, or >= 15.0.0 and < 15.0.1.4, or >= 15.1.0 and < 15.1.0.5
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Verify SIP ALG profile configurationRun 'tmsh list /ltm sip-alg' to list any configured SIP ALG profiles on the systemAffected if Any SIP ALG profile exists and is in use on virtual servers
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Check virtual servers using SIP ALGRun 'tmsh list /ltm virtual' and inspect the 'sip-alg' profile association for each virtual serverAffected if Any virtual server references or enables a SIP ALG profile in its configuration
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Confirm TMM processing of SIP trafficInspect traffic logs or run 'tmsh show /ltm profile sip-alg' to verify the SIP ALG profile is actively processing SIP multi-part MIME trafficAffected if The SIP ALG profile is actively processing SIP messages containing multi-part MIME payloads with boundary strings
A system is affected if it runs a BIG-IP version in the vulnerable ranges AND has a SIP ALG profile enabled on any virtual server processing SIP traffic.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 data14.1.2.715.0.1.415.1.0.5
Disable the SIP ALG profile on affected virtual servers if not required, and upgrade BIG-IP to a patched version (15.1.0.5, 15.0.1.4, or 14.1.2.7 or later). This is a code-level flaw requiring a software update; configuration changes alone cannot resolve it.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5926 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-5926 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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