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Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication · F5

CVE-2021-22984

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-02-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.6.5.2 / 12.1.5.2 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 Advanced WAF and ASM version 15.1.x before 15.1.0.2, 15.0.x before 15.0.1.4, 14.1.x before 14.1.2.5, 13.1.x before 13.1.3.4, 12.1.x before 12.1.5.2, and 11.6.x before 11.6.5.2, when receiving a unauthenticated client request with a maliciously crafted URI, a BIG-IP Advanced WAF or ASM virtual server configured with a DoS profile with Proactive Bot Defense (versions prior to 14.1.0), or a Bot Defense profile (versions 14.1.0 and later), may subject clients and web servers to Open Redirection attacks. 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

F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF and ASM contain an Open Redirection vulnerability when processing unauthenticated requests with maliciously crafted URIs through virtual servers configured with DoS profiles using Proactive Bot Defense (pre-14.1.0) or Bot Defense profiles (14.1.0+). The vulnerability allows attackers to redirect users to arbitrary external sites.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 15.1.0.2+, 15.0.1.4+, 14.1.2.5+, 13.1.3.4+, 12.1.5.2+, or 11.6.5.2+ to patch this vulnerability.

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 Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
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, < 14.1.2.5>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.2
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, < 14.1.2.5>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.0.2

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show /sys version' or check the web UI under Device Management > Overview to obtain the exact version number
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 11.6.1 to 11.6.5.1, 12.1.0 to 12.1.5.1, 13.1.0 to 13.1.3.3, 14.1.0 to 14.1.2.4, 15.0.0 to 15.0.1.3, or 15.1.0 to 15.1.0.1
  2. Locate virtual servers with DoS profiles
    Use the web UI under Local Traffic > Virtual Servers or run 'tmsh list ltm virtual' to list all virtual servers and identify which ones reference DoS profiles
    Affected if Any virtual server references a DoS profile in its configuration
  3. Check for Proactive Bot Defense on pre-14.1.0 systems
    For BIG-IP versions below 14.1.0, examine the DoS profile settings by running 'tmsh list ltm profile dos' or viewing the DoS profile in the web UI to see if Proactive Bot Defense is enabled
    Affected if Proactive Bot Defense is enabled within a DoS profile on versions 11.6.1 to 13.1.x
  4. Check for Bot Defense profiles on 14.1.0+ systems
    For BIG-IP versions 14.1.0 and above, examine Bot Defense profiles by running 'tmsh list ltm profile bot-defense' or viewing them in the web UI under Security > Bot Defense
    Affected if A Bot Defense profile is attached to any virtual server on versions 14.1.0 to 15.1.x

The environment is affected if the BIG-IP version is within the vulnerable ranges AND a virtual server has either a DoS profile with Proactive Bot Defense (pre-14.1.0) or a Bot Defense profile (14.1.0+) configured.

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 / 13.1.3.4 or later
Fixed in 11.6.5.212.1.5.213.1.3.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 15.1.0.2+, 15.0.1.4+, 14.1.2.5+, 13.1.3.4+, 12.1.5.2+, or 11.6.5.2+ to patch this vulnerability.

Fix this in Big Ip Advanced Web Application Firewall Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,780
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,448.

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-2021-22984 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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