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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2020-5933

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-29
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
On versions 15.1.0-15.1.0.5, 14.1.0-14.1.2.3, 13.1.0-13.1.3.4, 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, and 11.6.1-11.6.5.1, when a BIG-IP system that has a virtual server configured with an HTTP compression profile processes compressed HTTP message payloads that require deflation, a Slowloris-style attack can trigger an out-of-memory condition on the BIG-IP system.

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 Slowloris-style denial-of-service vulnerability exists in F5 BIG-IP systems with HTTP compression profiles enabled. An attacker can send specially crafted compressed HTTP message payloads requiring deflation, which exhausts memory resources and causes the system to become unavailable.

MitigationApply the appropriate F5 software update for your version (15.1.0.5, 14.1.2.3, 13.1.3.4, 12.1.5.1, or 11.6.5.1) or disable HTTP compression profiles on affected virtual servers if patching is not immediately 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, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1
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, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1
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, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1
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, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1
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, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1
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, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1
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, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1
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, < 14.1.2.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1

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. Determine the F5 BIG-IP software version
    Run `tmsh show /sys version` or check the BIG-IP web UI under Dashboard > Software Version
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: 11.6.1 to 11.6.5.1, 12.1.0 to 12.1.5.1, 13.1.0 to 13.1.3.4, 14.1.0 to 14.1.2.3, or 15.1.0 to 15.1.0.4
  2. Identify HTTP compression profiles in use
    Run `tmsh list ltm profile http-compression` to list all compression profiles configured on the system
    Affected if Any HTTP compression profiles exist and are assigned to virtual servers
  3. Verify compression profiles are attached to virtual servers
    Run `tmsh list ltm virtual` and examine the profiles section for each virtual server to see if http-compression is referenced
    Affected if Virtual servers have http-compression profiles assigned to them
  4. Confirm HTTP compression is enabled on virtual servers
    Check a specific virtual server configuration with `tmsh list ltm virtual <virtual_name> profiles` and verify the http-compression profile is listed
    Affected if The virtual server profile list includes a compression profile (http-compression)

You are affected if your BIG-IP version is within the vulnerable ranges AND HTTP compression profiles are enabled on any virtual servers handling HTTP traffic.

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 / 14.1.2.4 or later
Fixed in 11.6.5.212.1.5.214.1.2.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate F5 software update for your version (15.1.0.5, 14.1.2.3, 13.1.3.4, 12.1.5.1, or 11.6.5.1) or disable HTTP compression profiles on affected virtual servers if patching is not immediately feasible.

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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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-2020-5933 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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