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Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication · F5

CVE-2021-22993

HIGH · 8.8 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 →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 BIG-IP ASM versions 16.0.x before 16.0.1.1, 15.1.x before 15.1.2, 14.1.x before 14.1.3.1, 13.1.x before 13.1.3.6, and 12.1.x before 12.1.5.3, DOM-based XSS on DoS Profile properties page. 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

DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the DoS Profile properties page of BIG-IP Advanced WAF and BIG-IP ASM allows injection of malicious scripts through the DOM, potentially leading to session hijacking or arbitrary code execution in user browsers.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 16.0.1.1, 15.1.2, 14.1.3.1, 13.1.3.6, or 12.1.5.3 or later. Versions past End of Software Development are not supported.

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:>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.5.3>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.3.6>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2>= 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, < 14.1.3.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.2>= 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
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Confirm BIG-IP Advanced WAF or ASM module is installed
    Log into the BIG-IP Configuration Utility or run `tmsh list /sys module` to list installed modules. Look for either 'asm' (Application Security Manager) or 'awaf' (Advanced WAF) in the active modules list.
    Affected if Neither ASM nor Advanced WAF module is installed, the system is not affected.
  2. Identify the installed BIG-IP version
    Run `tmsh show /sys version` on the command line, or check the BIG-IP GUI under Main > Overview > Traffic Management. Record the exact version number (for example, 14.1.2.3 or 15.1.1.0).
    Affected if Version cannot be determined from the system, further manual verification is required.
  3. Compare installed version against affected ranges
    Check if the installed 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 14.1.3.0, 15.1.0 to 15.1.1.x, or 16.0.0 to 16.0.1.0. These are the vulnerable versions.
    Affected if The installed version is within any of these ranges, the DoS Profile properties page is potentially vulnerable to DOM-based XSS.
  4. Verify DoS Profile functionality is accessible
    Log into the BIG-IP GUI and navigate to Security > DoS Protection > DoS Profiles, or use `tmsh list /security dos profile` to list any configured DoS profiles. The vulnerability exists in the DoS Profile properties page.
    Affected if No DoS profiles exist or the DoS Profile section is not accessible, the exploitation surface may be limited but the code flaw still exists in vulnerable versions.

If BIG-IP Advanced WAF or ASM is installed with a version between the ranges listed in step 3, the environment is affected by this DOM-based XSS vulnerability in the DoS Profile properties 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 12.1.5.3 / 13.1.3.6 / 14.1.3.1 or later
Fixed in 12.1.5.313.1.3.614.1.3.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 16.0.1.1, 15.1.2, 14.1.3.1, 13.1.3.6, or 12.1.5.3 or later. Versions past End of Software Development are not supported.

Recommended fix High confidence

12.1.5.3 (for 12.1.x branch), 13.1.3.6 (for 13.1.x branch), 14.1.3.1 (for 14.1.x branch), 15.1.2 (for 15.1.x branch), or 16.0.1.1 (for 16.0.x branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed BIG-IP Advanced WAF or BIG-IP ASM version using 'tmsh show sys version' or the web management console.
  2. 2. Determine which major version branch you are running (12.1.x, 13.1.x, 14.1.x, 15.1.x, or 16.0.x).
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed version from the F5 Networks downloads site: For 12.1.x branch: 12.1.5.3; For 13.1.x branch: 13.1.3.6; For 14.1.x branch: 14.1.3.1; For 15.1.x branch: 15.1.2; For 16.0.x branch: 16.0.1.1.
  4. 4. Review F5 upgrade documentation and release notes for prerequisites and upgrade procedures.
  5. 5. Perform a backup of the BIG-IP configuration before upgrading.
  6. 6. Upgrade the BIG-IP system to the fixed version using the F5 upgrade utility or ISO image.
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed using 'tmsh show sys version'.
  8. 8. Confirm the DoS Profile properties page is accessible and the XSS vulnerability is resolved.
Caveat F5 upgrades typically require maintenance window; review F5 release notes for any configuration or behavioral changes between versions

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

Fix this in Big Ip Advanced Web Application Firewall Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,950
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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-2021-22993 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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