Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5
CVE-2020-5943
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 versions 14.1.0-14.1.0.1 and 14.1.2.5-14.1.2.7, when a BIG-IP object is created or listed through the REST interface, the protected fields are obfuscated in the REST response, not protected via a SecureVault cryptogram as TMSH does. One example of protected fields is the GTM monitor password.
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 · moderate confidenceIn affected F5 BIG-IP versions (14.1.0-14.1.0.1 and 14.1.2.5-14.1.2.7), protected fields such as GTM monitor passwords are only obfuscated in REST API responses rather than being secured with SecureVault cryptogram protection like TMSH uses. This creates an information disclosure risk where sensitive credentials could potentially be recovered from REST response data.
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
>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.0.1>= 14.1.2.5, <= 14.1.2.7
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.0.1>= 14.1.2.5, <= 14.1.2.7
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.0.1>= 14.1.2.5, <= 14.1.2.7
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.0.1>= 14.1.2.5, <= 14.1.2.7
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.0.1>= 14.1.2.5, <= 14.1.2.7
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.0.1>= 14.1.2.5, <= 14.1.2.7
Big Ip Ddos Hybrid DefenderApplication
>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.0.1>= 14.1.2.5, <= 14.1.2.7
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.0.1>= 14.1.2.5, <= 14.1.2.7CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 'tmsh show /sys version' or use the REST API endpoint GET /mgmt/tm/sys/version to retrieve the installed versionAffected if The version is 14.1.0-14.1.0.1 or 14.1.2.5-14.1.2.7
-
Identify GTM monitors with credentialsUse the REST API GET /mgmt/tm/gtm/monitor/ or examine TMSH output 'list gtm monitor' to locate any GTM monitors that contain password configurationAffected if GTM monitors with password fields are configured
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Query REST API for sensitive fieldsMake an authenticated REST API request to retrieve GTM monitor configuration and examine the response payload for password or credential fieldsAffected if The API response contains password fields with obfuscated values (e.g., ******* or encoded strings) rather than SecureVault cryptograms
You are affected if your BIG-IP version falls within 14.1.0-14.1.0.1 or 14.1.2.5-14.1.2.7 AND you use GTM monitors with password-protected configurations accessed via the REST API.
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 dataUpgrade BIG-IP to a version beyond 14.1.2.7 or apply the relevant hotfix. Until then, avoid transmitting sensitive data through the REST API and limit REST API access to trusted users only.
Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5943 — 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-2020-5943 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
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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