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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 17 Nov 2021. Known ransomware use
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2021-22986

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-03-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 12.1.5.3 / 13.1.3.6 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit 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 versions 16.0.x before 16.0.1.1, 15.1.x before 15.1.2.1, 14.1.x before 14.1.4, 13.1.x before 13.1.3.6, and 12.1.x before 12.1.5.3 amd BIG-IQ 7.1.0.x before 7.1.0.3 and 7.0.0.x before 7.0.0.2, the iControl REST interface has an unauthenticated remote command execution vulnerability. 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

The iControl REST interface in F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ contains an unauthenticated remote command execution vulnerability (CVE-2021-22986) allowing attackers to execute arbitrary system commands without any authentication credentials. This critical flaw affects the management API and can be exploited remotely to gain full system compromise.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches by upgrading to BIG-IP 16.0.1.1+, 15.1.2.1+, 14.1.4+, 13.1.3.6+, 12.1.5.3+ or BIG-IQ 7.1.0.3+/7.0.0.2+, or restrict management interface access to trusted networks only as an interim control.

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, < 12.1.5.3>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.6>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2.1>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.3>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.6>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2.1>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.3>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.6>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2.1>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.3>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.6>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2.1>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.3>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.6>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2.1>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.3>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.6>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2.1>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Ddos Hybrid DefenderApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.3>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.6>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2.1>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.3>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.6>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2.1>= 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 the F5 BIG-IP or BIG-IQ product and version
    Run the command 'tmsh show sys version' on the F5 device CLI, or log into the Configuration Utility and navigate to System > Software Management > Volume > Version. Alternatively, check /usr/local/www/ui/statics/sku-version.txt on the device.
    Affected if The product is any of the affected modules (APM, AFM, AWM, Analytics, AAM, ASM, DDoS Hybrid Defender, DNS) and the version falls within any of these ranges: 12.1.0 to 12.1.5.2, 13.1.0 to 13.1.3.5, 14.1.0 to 14.1.3, 15.1.0 to 15.1.2.0, or 16.0.0 to 16.0.1.0.
  2. Verify iControl REST interface is enabled
    Run 'tmsh list sys httpd' and look for 'allow' statements under the 'rest' authentication realm, or check via Configuration Utility at System > Protocol > iControl SOAP/REST.
    Affected if The iControl REST interface is enabled (this is the default state on affected versions).
  3. Determine if iControl REST is exposed to untrusted networks
    Check the management interface IP and port exposure by running 'tmsh list sys management-ip' and 'tmsh list sys httpd' to see which addresses the REST API listens on. Verify firewall rules with 'tmsh list sys ipfirewall rules' or check external firewall devices.
    Affected if The iControl REST service (typically port 443 on the management interface or port 443 on the self IP with tmm enabled) is reachable from networks outside the trusted administrative zone.
  4. Confirm vulnerability via version range comparison
    If the installed version is in an affected range and iControl REST is accessible, the system is vulnerable. There is no specific configuration flag that enables or disables this vulnerability; it is present in the code of the iControl REST component in affected versions.
    Affected if Both conditions are true: (1) the version is within an affected range listed in step 1, AND (2) the iControl REST interface is network-accessible as determined in step 3.

If the F5 device runs any affected module version within 12.1.0-12.1.5.2, 13.1.0-13.1.3.5, 14.1.0-14.1.3, 15.1.0-15.1.2.0, or 16.0.0-16.0.1.0 and has iControl REST exposed to the network, the system is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote command execution.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 12.1.5.3 / 13.1.3.6 / 14.1.4 or later
Fixed in 12.1.5.313.1.3.614.1.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches by upgrading to BIG-IP 16.0.1.1+, 15.1.2.1+, 14.1.4+, 13.1.3.6+, 12.1.5.3+ or BIG-IQ 7.1.0.3+/7.0.0.2+, or restrict management interface access to trusted networks only as an interim control.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to BIG-IP 12.1.5.3 / 13.1.3.6 / 14.1.4 / 15.1.2.1 / 16.0.1.1 (or later stable releases within your major version branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by running `tmsh show sys version` or checking the web UI login page.
  2. 2. Based on your current major version, plan upgrade to the minimum fixed version: 12.1.5.3, 13.1.3.6, 14.1.4, or 15.1.2.1 (or 16.0.1.1 if on 16.0.x).
  3. 3. Download the appropriate Hotfix (HF) or ISO image from the F5 Downloads site (https://downloads.f5.com/) or your F5 customer portal.
  4. 4. Back up the BIG-IP configuration using `tmsh save sys config all` and verify the UCS backup file is stored securely.
  5. 5. If running in a cluster (HA pair), review F5 upgrade documentation for proper HA upgrade procedures to maintain availability.
  6. 6. Upload the upgrade image to the BIG-IP via GUI (System > Software Management > Image List) or CLI: `tmsh install sys software volume <volume-name> <image-file>`.
  7. 7. Reboot into the new software volume using `tmsh boot system volume <volume-name>` or via GUI.
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify the iControl REST service is functioning: access `https://<host>/mgmt/shared/authn/login` and confirm normal response.
Caveat Upgrading between major versions (e.g., 12.x to 15.x) may introduce compatibility changes; always review F5 release notes for behavior changes and deprecated features before upgrading.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

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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-2021-22986 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
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data