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Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication · F5

CVE-2021-22982

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-02-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.1.0.4 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 DNS and GTM version 13.1.x before 13.1.0.4, and all versions of 12.1.x and 11.6.x, big3d does not securely handle and parse certain payloads resulting in a buffer overflow. 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 · high confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the big3d daemon component of BIG-IP DNS and Global Traffic Manager (GTM). The daemon fails to securely handle and parse certain network payloads, allowing an attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service. The vulnerability affects versions 13.1.x before 13.1.0.4, and all versions of 12.1.x and 11.6.x.

MitigationApply the appropriate F5 software update (13.1.0.4 or later for 13.1.x branch; upgrade to a supported version for 12.1.x and 11.6.x which are past EoSD). For systems that cannot be immediately patched, consider network segmentation to limit big3d exposure.

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 Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.0.4
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.1, <= 11.6.5

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 if BIG-IP DNS or GTM module is provisioned
    Run 'tmsh list sys provision' and look for dns or gtm provisioning level. Alternatively, check 'tmsh show sys provision' for provisioned modules.
    Affected if The dns or gtm module shows a provisioning level other than 'none' (e.g., 'nominal' or 'dedicated')
  2. Check the installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or 'tmsh list sys version' to retrieve the installed software version.
    Affected if The version falls within 12.1.0-12.1.5, 13.1.0-13.1.0.3, or 11.6.1-11.6.5 (for GTM) and the DNS/GTM module is provisioned
  3. Verify the big3d daemon is running
    Run 'tmsh show /ltm node' or check the status of the big3d process via 'bigstart status big3d' or by reviewing the output of 'tmsh show /gtm wideip' to confirm GTM/DNS functionality is active.
    Affected if The big3d daemon is running and serving traffic (indicating the vulnerable component is active)
  4. Confirm the system is using DNS or GTM configurations
    Review configuration with 'tmsh list /gtm wideip' or 'tmsh list /gtm server' to see if wide IPs or GTM servers are configured. For DNS, check 'tmsh list /dns zonerename' or similar DNS-specific configurations.
    Affected if Wide IPs, GTM servers, or DNS zones are configured, indicating active use of the affected component

The system is affected if it runs BIG-IP DNS (version 12.1.x or 13.1.x before 13.1.0.4) or GTM (version 11.6.1-11.6.5) with the DNS/GTM module provisioned and the big3d daemon active.

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 13.1.0.4 or later
Fixed in 13.1.0.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate F5 software update (13.1.0.4 or later for 13.1.x branch; upgrade to a supported version for 12.1.x and 11.6.x which are past EoSD). For systems that cannot be immediately patched, consider network segmentation to limit big3d exposure.

Fix this in Big Ip Domain Name System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,152.

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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-2021-22982 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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