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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2021-22994

MEDIUM · 6.1 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 →
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 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, undisclosed endpoints in iControl REST allow for a reflected XSS attack, which could lead to a complete compromise of the BIG-IP system if the victim user is granted the admin role. This vulnerability is due to an incomplete fix for CVE-2020-5948. 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

Reflected XSS vulnerability in undisclosed iControl REST endpoints on F5 BIG-IP allows injection of malicious scripts that execute in the context of an authenticated admin user's session, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This is an incomplete fix for CVE-2020-5948.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to fixed 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 apply available F5 patches. Restrict iControl REST access to trusted networks.

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
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 installed BIG-IP version
    Run command 'tmsh show /sys version' or check the BIG-IP GUI login page footer for version number
    Affected if The version displayed falls within any of these 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, or 16.0.0 to 16.0.1.0
  2. Confirm iControl REST endpoint accessibility
    Check if port 443 or 8443 is listening and accessible from your network using 'netstat -an | grep -E '(443|8443)''
    Affected if iControl REST is exposed and responds to HTTP requests on these ports
  3. Verify the specific BIG-IP module in use
    Run 'tmsh list /sys provision' to list all provisioned BIG-IP modules
    Affected if Any of these modules are provisioned: APM, AFM, ASM, Analytics, AAM, DNS, or DDOS Hybrid Defender on an affected version
  4. Confirm admin access to iControl REST
    Determine if you have administrative credentials to access the iControl REST API
    Affected if You can authenticate as an admin user to the iControl REST endpoint

You are affected if your BIG-IP version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND iControl REST is accessible from a network where an attacker could inject malicious scripts into an authenticated admin session.

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 11.6.5.3 / 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 fixed 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 apply available F5 patches. Restrict iControl REST access to trusted networks.

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

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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-2021-22994 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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