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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2021-22973

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-02-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.1.3.5 / 14.1.3.1 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 BIG-IP version 16.0.x before 16.0.1.1, 15.1.x before 15.1.2, 14.1.x before 14.1.3.1, 13.1.x before 13.1.3.5, and all 12.1.x versions, JSON parser function does not protect against out-of-bounds memory accesses or writes. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Software Development (EoSD) are not evaluated.

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 confidence

F5 BIG-IP contains a memory safety vulnerability in its JSON parser function that fails to protect against out-of-bounds memory accesses or writes. This could allow an attacker to cause denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code by sending specially crafted JSON input to the BIG-IP system.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 16.0.1.1 or later, 15.1.2 or later, 14.1.3.1 or later, 13.1.3.5 or later, or a version beyond 12.1.x. Note that 12.1.x versions are end-of-life and not receiving patches.

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:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1

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. Identify installed BIG-IP version
    Run command 'tmsh show /sys version' or check the BIG-IP GUI System > Overview page for the software version
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 12.1.0-12.1.5, 13.1.0-13.1.3.4, 14.1.0-14.1.3.0, 15.1.0-15.1.1, or 16.0.0-16.0.1.0
  2. Confirm affected BIG-IP module is provisioned
    Run 'tmsh list sys provision' to see which modules are provisioned (APM, AFM, ASM, GTM, etc.)
    Affected if Any of the following 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, AND the version is in the affected ranges from step 1
  3. Check if JSON parser is accessible
    Review exposed API endpoints or iRules that accept JSON input. The vulnerability is triggered by sending specially crafted JSON to the BIG-IP system.
    Affected if The system exposes any interface (API, iRule, or configuration) that processes JSON input and the version is in the affected range

You are affected if your BIG-IP version is within 12.1.0-12.1.5, 13.1.0-13.1.3.4, 14.1.0-14.1.3.0, 15.1.0-15.1.1, or 16.0.0-16.0.1.0 AND you have any of the affected modules provisioned.

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 13.1.3.5 / 14.1.3.1 / 15.1.2 or later
Fixed in 13.1.3.514.1.3.115.1.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 16.0.1.1 or later, 15.1.2 or later, 14.1.3.1 or later, 13.1.3.5 or later, or a version beyond 12.1.x. Note that 12.1.x versions are end-of-life and not receiving patches.

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,560
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,896.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-22973 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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