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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2021-22992

CRITICAL · 9.8 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 →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS 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, 12.1.x before 12.1.5.3, and 11.6.x before 11.6.5.3, a malicious HTTP response to an Advanced WAF/BIG-IP ASM virtual server with Login Page configured in its policy may trigger a buffer overflow, resulting in a DoS attack. In certain situations, it may allow remote code execution (RCE), leading to complete system compromise. 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 BIG-IP Advanced WAF/BIG-IP ASM when a virtual server has a Login Page configured in its security policy. A malicious HTTP response to such a virtual server can trigger the overflow, causing denial of service and potentially allowing remote code execution with full system compromise.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to versions 16.0.1.1, 15.1.2.1, 14.1.4, 13.1.3.6, 12.1.5.3, or 11.6.5.3 or later. No workarounds are available; the ASM policy with Login Page must remain in place (the vulnerability is in processing responses, not the policy itself).

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
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. Check BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or view the System > Software Management > Software Images page in the GUI. Compare the installed version to the affected ranges: 11.6.1 to 11.6.5.2, 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, 16.0.0 to 16.0.1.0
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the affected version ranges
  2. Verify ASM module is licensed and provisioned
    Run 'tmsh show sys provision' or check System > Settings > Provisioning in the GUI. Look for Application Security Manager (ASM) provisioning status.
    Affected if ASM is provisioned (any level) on an affected version
  3. Identify virtual servers with ASM security policies
    Run 'tmsh list ltm virtual vs-name security-policy' for each virtual server, or use the GUI: go to Local Traffic > Virtual Servers and check the Security Policy column for each virtual server.
    Affected if Any virtual server has an ASM security policy assigned
  4. Check if security policy contains a Login Page
    For each virtual server with a security policy, inspect the policy via 'tmsh list asm policy <policy_name>' or in the GUI go to Security > Application Security > Policies, select the policy, then navigate to Login Pages > Login Page List.
    Affected if Any ASM security policy has a Login Page configured (enabled)

User is affected if running an affected BIG-IP version with ASM provisioned AND a virtual server has a security policy that includes a configured Login Page.

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

Upgrade BIG-IP to versions 16.0.1.1, 15.1.2.1, 14.1.4, 13.1.3.6, 12.1.5.3, or 11.6.5.3 or later. No workarounds are available; the ASM policy with Login Page must remain in place (the vulnerability is in processing responses, not the policy itself).

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to BIG-IP 14.1.4+ (or 13.1.3.6+, 12.1.5.3+, 11.6.5.3+, 15.1.2.1+, or 16.0.1.1+ depending on your major version branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed BIG-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the web management console.
  2. 2. Determine which BIG-IP module (APM, AFM, ASM/AWAF, Analytics, AAM, DNS, etc.) has a virtual server with Login Page configured in its security policy.
  3. 3. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade, as this will require a service interruption.
  4. 4. Back up the current BIG-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config' or the web management console.
  5. 5. Download the appropriate fixed version from the F5 downloads portal (support.f5.com) based on your current major version: 16.0.1.1+, 15.1.2.1+, 14.1.4+, 13.1.3.6+, 12.1.5.3+, or 11.6.5.3+.
  6. 6. Upload the ISO image to the BIG-IP and install it via 'tmsh install sys software' or the web management console.
  7. 7. After reboot, verify the new version is running with 'tmsh show sys version'.
  8. 8. Test that virtual servers with Login Page policies function correctly and the vulnerability is mitigated.
Caveat Upgrading BIG-IP major versions may require careful compatibility review of existing policies, profiles, and iRules; test thoroughly in a staging environment before production deployment

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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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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-2021-22992 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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