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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2021-23044

HIGH · 7.5 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 →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 version 16.x before 16.1.0, 15.1.x before 15.1.3.1, 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, when the Intel QuickAssist Technology (QAT) compression driver is used on affected BIG-IP hardware and BIG-IP Virtual Edition (VE) platforms, undisclosed traffic can cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate. 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 denial of service vulnerability exists in F5 BIG-IP devices when Intel QuickAssist Technology (QAT) compression driver is enabled. Undisclosed traffic patterns can cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate, resulting in service disruption.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 16.1.0 or later (15.1.3.1+, 14.1.4.2+, 13.1.4.1+) or disable QAT compression if upgrade is not feasible.

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, < 13.1.4.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4.2>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3.1>= 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, <= 13.1.4.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4.2>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3.1>= 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, < 13.1.4.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4.2>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3.1>= 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, < 13.1.4.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4.2>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3.1>= 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, < 13.1.4.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4.2>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3.1>= 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, < 13.1.4.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4.2>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3.1>= 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, < 13.1.4.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4.2>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3.1>= 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, < 13.1.4.1>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4.2>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.3.1>= 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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Check BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show /sys version' or view /etc/product_version to obtain the installed version
    Affected if The version falls within 11.6.0-11.6.5, 12.1.0-12.1.6, 13.1.0-13.1.4.1, 14.1.0-14.1.4.2, 15.1.0-15.1.3.1, or 16.0.0-16.1.0
  2. Identify enabled BIG-IP modules
    Run 'tmsh show /cm device' to list installed modules such as APM, AFM, Analytics, AAM, ASM, DNS, GTM
    Affected if Any of these modules are provisioned and the version is in the affected range
  3. Verify QAT compression driver status
    Check the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) configuration via 'tmsh show /ltm profile compression' or inspect whether the Intel QuickAssist Technology (QAT) compression driver is enabled in the system
    Affected if QAT compression driver is enabled in the configuration

The environment is affected if the BIG-IP version is within the affected ranges AND QAT compression driver is enabled, as the vulnerability only triggers when QAT is active.

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 / 15.1.3.1 or later
Fixed in 13.1.4.114.1.4.215.1.3.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 16.1.0 or later (15.1.3.1+, 14.1.4.2+, 13.1.4.1+) or disable QAT compression if upgrade is not feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 14.1.4.2 or later (14.1.x); 13.1.4.1 or later (13.1.x); 15.1.3.1 or later (15.1.x); 16.1.0 or later (16.x). For 11.6.x and 12.1.x versions, these have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) and require upgrading to a supported version.

  1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the web management console
Caveat Review F5 upgrade documentation for compatibility notes; some configuration adjustments may be needed when moving between major versions. Ensure backups are taken before upgrading.

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2021-23044 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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