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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-23016

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.1.4.1 / 16.1.2 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 versions 16.1.x before 16.1.2 and 15.1.x before 15.1.4.1, when BIG-IP SSL Forward Proxy with TLS 1.3 is configured on a virtual server, undisclosed requests 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 · moderate confidence

This is a denial-of-service vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP where specific undisclosed requests sent to a virtual server with SSL Forward Proxy and TLS 1.3 enabled cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate, disrupting traffic processing for all connected clients.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 16.1.2 or later (16.1.x) or 15.1.4.1 or later (15.1.x), or disable SSL Forward Proxy TLS 1.3 on affected virtual servers as a workaround.

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:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.4.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.4.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.4.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.4.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.4.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.4.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.4.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.4.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2

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
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. Identify BIG-IP version
    Run `tmsh show sys version` or check the BIG-IP GUI under Device Summary to view the installed version.
    Affected if The version is 15.1.0 through 15.1.4.0 OR 16.1.0 through 16.1.1 (not 15.1.4.1+ or 16.1.2+).
  2. Identify virtual servers with SSL Forward Proxy enabled
    Run `tmsh list ltm virtual all one-line` and look for 'ssl forward-proxy enabled' in the output, or use `tmsh list ltm virtual <name> ssl forward-proxy` on specific virtual servers.
    Affected if Any virtual server has the SSL Forward Proxy feature enabled.
  3. Check if TLS 1.3 is enabled on the SSL profile
    Run `tmsh list ltm profile client-ssl <profile_name>` and check the 'options { tlsv1.3 }' line, or inspect the SSL profile in the GUI under Local Traffic > Profiles > SSL > Client.
    Affected if The SSL profile bound to the virtual server has TLS 1.3 enabled (tlsv1.3 option is present).

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable BIG-IP version AND has a virtual server with both SSL Forward Proxy and TLS 1.3 simultaneously 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 15.1.4.1 / 16.1.2 or later
Fixed in 15.1.4.116.1.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 16.1.2 or later (16.1.x) or 15.1.4.1 or later (15.1.x), or disable SSL Forward Proxy TLS 1.3 on affected virtual servers as a workaround.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 15.1.4.1 (for 15.1.x branch) or 16.1.2 (for 16.1.x branch)

  1. Identify the current BIG-IP version using 'tmsh show sys version' or the web UI
  2. Backup the BIG-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config'
  3. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade will require a reboot
  4. Download the appropriate hotfix from F5 support (15.1.4.1 or 16.1.2) from support.f5.com
  5. Upload and install the hotfix via tmsh: 'tmsh install sys software hotfix <hotfix-file> volume <volume-name>'
  6. Reboot the BIG-IP device to apply the update
  7. Verify the new version is running: 'tmsh show sys version'
  8. Confirm SSL Forward Proxy with TLS 1.3 virtual servers are functioning normally
Caveat Review F5 release notes for any configuration or behavior changes; test in non-production environment first

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.

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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-2022-23016 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data