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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2021-23043

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 16.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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, on all versions of 16.1.x, 16.0.x, 15.1.x, 14.1.x, 13.1.x, 12.1.x, and 11.6.x, a directory traversal vulnerability exists in an undisclosed page of the BIG-IP Configuration utility that allows an attacker to access arbitrary 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

A directory traversal vulnerability in the BIG-IP Configuration utility allows authenticated attackers to access arbitrary files on the filesystem by manipulating path traversal sequences in an undisclosed page.

MitigationApply the appropriate F5 security patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict access to the BIG-IP Configuration utility to trusted networks or IP addresses.

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:>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.6>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.3>= 16.0.0, <= 16.1.0
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.6>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.3>= 16.0.0, <= 16.1.0
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.6>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.3>= 16.0.0, <= 16.1.0
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.6>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.3>= 16.0.0, <= 16.1.0
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.6>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.3>= 16.0.0, <= 16.1.0
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.6>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.3>= 16.0.0, <= 16.1.0
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.6>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.3>= 16.0.0, <= 16.1.0
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 11.6.0, <= 11.6.5>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.6>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.4>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.3>= 16.0.0, <= 16.1.0

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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' on the BIG-IP command line, or check System > Software Management > Image in the GUI, or query the REST API endpoint https://<host>/mgmt/tm/sys/version
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 11.6.0-11.6.5, 12.1.0-12.1.6, 13.1.0-13.1.4, 14.1.0-14.1.4, 15.1.0-15.1.3, or 16.0.0-16.1.0
  2. Determine which modules are provisioned
    Run 'tmsh list sys provision' or check System > Resource Provisioning in the GUI to see which modules (APM, AFM, Analytics, AAM, ASM, DNS, FPS, GTM) are provisioned on the system
    Affected if Any of the affected modules (APM, AFM, Analytics, AAM, ASM, DNS, FPS, GTM) are provisioned and the version is within the affected ranges
  3. Verify Configuration utility accessibility
    Check if the BIG-IP Configuration utility (web-based management interface) is exposed to untrusted networks. Review network access settings in Network > Self IP or check the management interface configuration via 'tmsh list sys management-ip'
    Affected if The Configuration utility is accessible from untrusted networks (not restricted to trusted IP ranges)
  4. Confirm authentication status
    Review whether the undisclosed page used in the attack requires authentication. Typically, the Configuration utility requires login, but verify that authentication is enforced for all management interfaces
    Affected if An attacker can authenticate to the Configuration utility (even with low-privilege user access)

You are affected if your BIG-IP system runs a version within the listed ranges AND has any of the affected modules provisioned AND the Configuration utility is accessible to an authenticated user.

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 a release after 16.1.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate F5 security patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict access to the BIG-IP Configuration utility to trusted networks or IP addresses.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Big-IP 14.1.5 or later (or latest stable 15.1.x/16.0.x/16.1.x release)

  1. 1. Identify the current Big-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' on the command line
  2. 2. Determine which Big-IP module(s) (APM, AFM, Analytics, AAM, ASM, DNS, FPS, GTM) are in use as all are affected
  3. 3. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  4. 4. Backup the current Big-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config'
  5. 5. Download the appropriate fixed version from the F5 downloads portal (support.f5.com)
  6. 6. For version 14.1.x, upgrade to 14.1.5 or later
  7. 7. For version 13.1.x, upgrade to 13.1.5 or later
  8. 8. For version 12.1.x, upgrade to 12.1.7 or later (if supported)
Caveat Upgrading major versions may require configuration review; ensure compatibility with existing policies and review F5 release notes for behavior changes between versions

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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2021-23043 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data