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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2021-23052

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.1.4.4 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 version 14.1.x before 14.1.4.4 and all versions of 13.1.x, an open redirect vulnerability exists on virtual servers enabled with a BIG-IP APM access policy. This vulnerability allows an unauthenticated malicious user to build an open redirect URI. 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

An open redirect vulnerability exists in F5 BIG-IP APM (Access Policy Manager) on virtual servers with APM access policy enabled. An unauthenticated attacker can craft malicious URLs that redirect users to arbitrary sites, potentially enabling phishing attacks.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 14.1.4.4 or later (for 14.1.x branches), or migrate from 13.1.x to a supported version. Identify and review virtual servers with APM enabled to confirm the attack surface.

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:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.4>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.4.4

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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. Check BIG-IP version
    Run `tmsh show sys version` or view the version in the BIG-IP Configuration Utility under System > Software Management > ISO Image
    Affected if The version falls within 13.1.0 to 13.1.4 inclusive, or 14.1.0 to 14.1.4.3 inclusive
  2. Verify APM module is provisioned
    Run `tmsh list sys provision apm` or check System > Resource Provisioning in the Configuration Utility
    Affected if APM shows as provisioned (not None)
  3. Identify virtual servers with APM access policy enabled
    Run `tmsh list ltm virtual all | grep -A 5 access-policy` or review virtual servers in Network > Virtual Servers in the Configuration Utility
    Affected if Any virtual server displays an access-policy configuration pointing to an APM access policy

The environment is affected if BIG-IP runs a vulnerable version (13.1.0-13.1.4 or 14.1.0-14.1.4.3) AND has at least one virtual server with APM access policy enabled.

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 14.1.4.4 or later
Fixed in 14.1.4.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 14.1.4.4 or later (for 14.1.x branches), or migrate from 13.1.x to a supported version. Identify and review virtual servers with APM enabled to confirm the attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIG-IP 14.1.4.4 or later (13.1.x has no fix available - upgrade path is to migrate to 14.1.x or later)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP APM version by checking the system information in the BIG-IP Configuration Utility or using 'tmsh show sys version'
  2. 2. For BIG-IP 14.1.x versions: Schedule a maintenance window and upgrade to version 14.1.4.4 or later (14.1.x is still under active support as of the vulnerability disclosure)
  3. 3. For BIG-IP 13.1.x versions: Since all 13.1.x versions are affected and 13.1.x has reached End of Technical Support (EoTS), the recommended action is to upgrade to a supported version (14.1.4.4 or later)
  4. 4. After upgrade, verify the BIG-IP APM virtual servers are running the patched version using 'tmsh show sys version'
  5. 5. Test that legitimate APM access policies function correctly post-upgrade
Caveat Upgrading BIG-IP software carries risk; ensure backup and test in staging environment first. Note that 13.1.x is EoTS so there is no patch - migration to 14.1.x+ is required.

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
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2021-23052 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data