Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5
CVE-2021-23026
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 · uneditedBIG-IP version 16.0.x before 16.0.1.2, 15.1.x before 15.1.3, 14.1.x before 14.1.4.2, 13.1.x before 13.1.4.1, and all versions of 12.1.x and 11.6.x and all versions of BIG-IQ 8.x, 7.x, and 6.x are vulnerable to cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks through iControl SOAP. 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 confidenceF5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ contain a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the iControl SOAP interface. An attacker could trick an authenticated administrator into sending malicious requests, potentially allowing unauthorized configuration changes or data access.
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
>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, <= 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, <= 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, <= 16.0.1.1
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, <= 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, <= 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, <= 16.0.1.1
Big Ip Ddos Hybrid DefenderApplication
>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, <= 16.0.1
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.2>= 16.0.0, <= 16.0.1.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed BIG-IP versionRun 'tmsh show sys version' or 'bigpipe version' from the command line to retrieve the system versionAffected if The version falls within 13.1.0-13.1.4, 14.1.0-14.1.4, 15.1.0-15.1.2, or 16.0.0-16.0.1.1
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Confirm iControl SOAP interface is accessibleCheck if the iControl SOAP service is listening by reviewing network listener configuration via 'tmsh list sys httpd' or by attempting to access the SOAP endpoint on port 443 or 8443Affected if The iControl SOAP interface is enabled and reachable on the network
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Verify administrative access to iControlReview user access permissions and confirm whether administrative accounts have iControl SOAP privileges via 'tmsh list auth user'Affected if Administrative users with iControl SOAP access are present in the environment
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Check for suspicious CSRF tokens or request patternsReview Apache or iRule logs for anomalous HTTP requests to the SOAP endpoint that may indicate CSRF exploitation attemptsAffected if Unusual or unauthorized SOAP requests are logged from unexpected sources
The environment is affected if the installed BIG-IP/BIG-IQ version is within the affected ranges AND the iControl SOAP interface is enabled with administrative users having SOAP access.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpgrade BIG-IP to 16.0.1.2, 15.1.3, 14.1.4.2, or 13.1.4.1 or later; upgrade BIG-IQ to a patched version; or apply available hotfixes.
Upgrade to 16.0.1.2 (or later), 15.1.3 (or later), 14.1.4.2 (or later), or 13.1.4.1 (or later) depending on current major version
- 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by checking System > Software Management > ISO Image or using 'tmsh show sys version'
- 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on current version: For 16.0.x upgrade to 16.0.1.2 or later; For 15.1.x upgrade to 15.1.3 or later; For 14.1.x upgrade to 14.1.4.2 or later; For 13.1.x upgrade to 13.1.4.1 or later
- 3. Download the corresponding ISO image from the F5 Downloads site (downloads.f5.com) - ensure you have valid F5 credentials and entitlements
- 4. Upload the ISO to the BIG-IP via Management > Software Management > ISO Image > Import
- 5. Create a new boot volume (Volume Management > Create) to install the new version alongside the existing one
- 6. Install the uploaded image onto the new volume using 'Software Management > Install'
- 7. Verify the installation completes successfully before rebooting into the new version
- 8. Test the iControl SOAP functionality and verify the Access Policy Manager operates correctly after upgrade
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
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-23026 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-23026 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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