dbcve.org
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication · F5

CVE-2021-23014

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-05-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.1.4 / 15.1.3 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
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 versions 16.0.x before 16.0.1.1, 15.1.x before 15.1.3, and 14.1.x before 14.1.4, BIG-IP Advanced WAF and ASM are missing authorization checks for file uploads to a specific directory within the REST API which might allow Authenticated users with guest privileges to upload files. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) 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

BIG-IP Advanced WAF and ASM REST API lacks proper authorization checks for file uploads to a specific directory, allowing authenticated users with guest privileges (the lowest privilege role) to upload files to locations they should not have access to.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 16.0.1.1, 15.1.3, or 14.1.4 or later to remediate the missing authorization checks in the REST API.

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:>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3>= 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 installed product
    Run 'tmsh list sys product' or check the web UI for the installed modules to confirm whether Advanced WAF (AWAF) or Application Security Manager (ASM) is provisioned
    Affected if The product is BIG-IP Advanced WAF or ASM
  2. Determine the installed version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or check the web UI under System > Software > Volume to see the installed BIG-IP version
    Affected if The version falls within 14.1.0 to 14.1.4, 15.1.0 to 15.1.3, or 16.0.0 to 16.0.1.1
  3. Check if REST API is accessible
    Verify the iControl REST service is running with 'tmsh show sys service restnoded' or attempt a local HTTPS request to port 8443 or 443
    Affected if The REST API is exposed and accessible on the device
  4. Verify guest user accounts exist
    Run 'tmsh list auth user' or check the user database for accounts with the guest role
    Affected if There are user accounts assigned the guest role in the authentication configuration
  5. Test file upload permission via REST API
    Using an authenticated guest user session, attempt a REST API POST request to upload a file to a restricted directory such as /var/tmp or /shared using the /mgmt/tm/util/bash endpoint or similar file operations
    Affected if A guest user can successfully upload files to directories outside their authorized scope

You are affected if you are running BIG-IP Advanced WAF or ASM in any of the affected version ranges with the REST API accessible and guest user accounts enabled, allowing low-privilege users to write files to unintended locations.

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 14.1.4 / 15.1.3 / 16.0.1.1 or later
Fixed in 14.1.415.1.316.0.1.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 16.0.1.1, 15.1.3, or 14.1.4 or later to remediate the missing authorization checks in the REST API.

Recommended fix High confidence

14.1.4 (for 14.1.x branch), 15.1.3 (for 15.1.x branch), or 16.0.1.1 (for 16.0.x branch)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed BIG-IP version (Advanced WAF or ASM module)
  2. 2. Determine which version branch you are on: 14.1.x, 15.1.x, or 16.0.x
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed version from the F5 Networks download page: 14.1.4 for 14.1.x branch, 15.1.3 for 15.1.x branch, or 16.0.1.1 for 16.0.x branch
  4. 4. Review the F5 release notes for the target version to check for any known issues or migration requirements
  5. 5. Create a backup of the current BIG-IP configuration
  6. 6. Upload the ISO image to the BIG-IP system
  7. 7. Perform the upgrade via the web interface (ConfigSync) or command line
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade completed successfully and the version matches the target fixed version
Caveat Review F5 release notes for potential compatibility issues; some features or configurations may behave differently in the new version

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
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,472.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-23014 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2021-23014 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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