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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2021-22989

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-03-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.6.5.3 / 12.1.5.3 or later.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 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, 12.1.x before 12.1.5.3, and 11.6.x before 11.6.5.3, when running in Appliance mode with Advanced WAF or BIG-IP ASM provisioned, the TMUI, also referred to as the Configuration utility, has an authenticated remote command execution vulnerability in undisclosed pages. 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

Authenticated remote command execution vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP TMUI (Configuration utility) affecting 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, 12.1.x before 12.1.5.3, and 11.6.x before 11.6.5.3 when running in Appliance mode with Advanced WAF or BIG-IP ASM provisioned. The vulnerability exists in undisclosed pages of the web-based management interface.

MitigationApply F5 hotfixes or upgrade to the fixed versions (16.0.1.1, 15.1.2.1, 14.1.4, 13.1.3.6, 12.1.5.3, 11.6.5.3). Until patched, restrict TMUI access to trusted management networks only and enforce strong authentication.

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:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.3>= 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:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.3>= 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:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.3>= 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:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.3>= 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:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.3>= 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:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.3>= 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:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.3>= 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:>= 11.6.1, < 11.6.5.3>= 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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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. Check BIG-IP version via TMSH
    Run command: tmsh show /sys version. Look for the version string in the output.
    Affected if The version is 11.6.x before 11.6.5.3, 12.1.x before 12.1.5.3, 13.1.x before 13.1.3.6, 14.1.x before 14.1.4, 15.1.x before 15.1.2.1, or 16.0.x before 16.0.1.1
  2. Verify ASM or Advanced WAF provisioning
    Run command: tmsh list /sys provision. Look for 'asm' or 'awaf' modules with a level other than 'none'.
    Affected if ASM (Application Security Manager) or AWAF (Advanced Web Application Firewall) is provisioned on the system
  3. Check if Appliance mode is enabled
    Run command: tmsh list /sys db ui.appliance mode. Alternatively, check System > Repository > Appliance in TMUI or review /config/bigip.conf for 'ui.appliance mode' setting.
    Affected if The system has Appliance mode enabled (ui.appliance mode is set to 'true')

All three conditions must be true: the BIG-IP version is vulnerable, ASM or AWAF is provisioned, and Appliance mode is enabled. If any one is false, the system is not affected by this specific CVE.

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 11.6.5.3 / 12.1.5.3 / 13.1.3.6 or later
Fixed in 11.6.5.312.1.5.313.1.3.6
Interim mitigation

Apply F5 hotfixes or upgrade to the fixed versions (16.0.1.1, 15.1.2.1, 14.1.4, 13.1.3.6, 12.1.5.3, 11.6.5.3). Until patched, restrict TMUI access to trusted management networks only and enforce strong authentication.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 11.6.5.3+ (11.6.x), 12.1.5.3+ (12.1.x), 13.1.3.6+ (13.1.x), or 14.1.4+ (14.1.x) depending on your current branch

  1. 1. Identify the current installed BIG-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the TMUI version information.
  2. 2. Based on the current version branch, upgrade to the minimum fixed version: for 11.6.x upgrade to 11.6.5.3 or later; for 12.1.x upgrade to 12.1.5.3 or later; for 13.1.x upgrade to 13.1.3.6 or later; for 14.1.x upgrade to 14.1.4 or later.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate hotfix or ISO image from the F5 Networks downloads portal at support.f5.com.
  4. 4. Review F5 upgrade documentation and ensure proper backups are in place before proceeding.
  5. 5. Upload the ISO or hotfix to the BIG-IP system and install using 'tmsh install sys software' or via the TMUI.
  6. 6. After installation, reboot the system to apply the changes.
  7. 7. Verify the version has been updated by running 'tmsh show sys version' and confirm the vulnerability is resolved.
Caveat F5 upgrades may require downtime; review F5 release notes for potential configuration or compatibility changes before upgrading

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

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2021-22989 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