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Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2021-23040

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.1.4.1 / 14.1.4.2 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 BIG-IP AFM 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, a SQL injection vulnerability exists in an undisclosed page of the BIG-IP Configuration utility. This issue is exposed only when BIG-IP AFM is provisioned. 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

SQL injection vulnerability in an undisclosed page of the BIG-IP Configuration utility, exploitable only when BIG-IP AFM (Advanced Firewall Manager) is provisioned. The high CVSS score (8.8) indicates potential for unauthorized data access or database manipulation through malformed SQL queries.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches: upgrade to 16.0.1.2+, 15.1.3+, 14.1.4.2+, or 13.1.4.1+ (12.1.x has no fix; consider upgrade path). Restrict access to the Configuration utility until patched.

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 Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.6>= 13.1.0, < 13.1.4.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4.2>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3>= 16.0.0, < 16.0.1.2

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. Verify if BIG-IP AFM module is provisioned
    Run command: tmsh list sys provision | grep -i afm or check through BIG-IP GUI under System > Resource Provisioning > AFM
    Affected if AFM shows as 'Provisioned' - the vulnerability only applies when AFM is enabled
  2. Determine installed BIG-IP version
    Run command: tmsh show sys version or check GUI under Diagnostics > Support > System Information > Product Version
    Affected if Version falls within any of these ranges: 12.1.0-12.1.6, 13.1.0-13.1.4.0, 14.1.0-14.1.4.1, 15.1.0-15.1.2, or 16.0.0-16.0.1.1
  3. Confirm Configuration utility is accessible
    Check if the BIG-IP Configuration utility (GUI on port 443) is exposed to network or if access is restricted to trusted networks only
    Affected if Configuration utility is reachable from untrusted networks - exploitation requires access to this interface

Environment is affected if AFM is provisioned, the installed version is within the affected ranges listed, and the Configuration utility is network-accessible.

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 13.1.4.1 / 14.1.4.2 / 15.1.3 or later
Fixed in 13.1.4.114.1.4.215.1.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches: upgrade to 16.0.1.2+, 15.1.3+, 14.1.4.2+, or 13.1.4.1+ (12.1.x has no fix; consider upgrade path). Restrict access to the Configuration utility until patched.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 15.1.3 (or 14.1.4.2 / 13.1.4.1 depending on your current branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP AFM version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the Configuration utility.
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your current installation belongs to (12.1.x, 13.1.x, 14.1.x, or 15.1.x).
  3. 3. Navigate to the F5 Downloads portal at https://downloads.f5.com/ and locate the appropriate fixed release for your version branch.
  4. 4. Download the hotfix or updated ISO for your branch: 13.1.4.1, 14.1.4.2, or 15.1.3.
  5. 5. Upload the ISO to the BIG-IP device via the Configuration utility or SCP.
  6. 6. Install the hotfix following F5's standard hotfix installation procedure.
  7. 7. Verify the installation completed successfully and the SQL injection vulnerability is resolved.
  8. 8. Note: BIG-IP versions 12.1.x have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) and do not receive patches; upgrade to a supported version branch if on 12.1.x.
Caveat Upgrading between major versions may introduce configuration or compatibility changes; review F5 release notes before upgrading

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

Fix this in Big Ip Advanced Firewall 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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.

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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-2021-23040 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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