dbcve.org
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-23021

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 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 BIG-IP version 16.1.x before 16.1.2, when any of the following configurations are configured on a virtual server, undisclosed requests can cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate: HTTP redirect rule in an LTM policy, BIG-IP APM Access Profile, and Explicit HTTP Proxy in HTTP Profile. 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 in F5 BIG-IP versions 16.1.x before 16.1.2 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to crash the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) via specially crafted HTTP requests when specific configurations are enabled: HTTP redirect rules in LTM policies, BIG-IP APM Access Profiles, or Explicit HTTP Proxy in HTTP Profiles.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 16.1.2 or later. For systems that cannot be immediately upgraded, implement network-level filtering to block malicious requests or disable the affected configurations if not required.

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:>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 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
    Use the command 'tmsh show sys version' or check the BIG-IP GUI under System > Software Management > Installed Volume to find the installed BIG-IP version.
    Affected if The installed version is 16.1.0, 16.1.0.x, or 16.1.1 (any version 16.1.x before 16.1.2).
  2. Check for HTTP redirect rules in LTM policies
    Review LTM policies via tmsh using 'tmsh list ltm policy' or via the GUI under Local Traffic > Policies to identify any policies containing HTTP redirect actions.
    Affected if HTTP redirect rules are configured in any LTM policy.
  3. Check for APM Access Profiles
    Review APM configuration via tmsh using 'tmsh list apm profile access' or via the GUI under Access Policy > Access Profiles to identify any active Access Profiles.
    Affected if Any APM Access Profile is created and enabled.
  4. Check for Explicit HTTP Proxy in HTTP Profiles
    Review HTTP profiles via tmsh using 'tmsh list ltm profile http' or via the GUI under Local Traffic > Profiles > HTTP to identify profiles with Explicit Proxy enabled.
    Affected if Any HTTP profile has Explicit HTTP Proxy configuration enabled.

A user is affected if their BIG-IP runs version 16.1.0 through 16.1.1 AND has any of these three configurations enabled: HTTP redirect rules in LTM policies, APM Access Profiles, or Explicit HTTP Proxy in HTTP Profiles.

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 16.1.2 or later
Fixed in 16.1.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 16.1.2 or later. For systems that cannot be immediately upgraded, implement network-level filtering to block malicious requests or disable the affected configurations if not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIG-IP version 16.1.2 or later

  1. 1. Identify all BIG-IP devices running version 16.1.0 or 16.1.1 in the environment
  2. 2. Review the virtual server configurations to determine if any use HTTP redirect rules in LTM policies, BIG-IP APM Access Profiles, or Explicit HTTP Proxy in HTTP Profiles
  3. 3. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  4. 4. Download BIG-IP version 16.1.2 or later from the F5 Networks download site (support.f5.com)
  5. 5. Upload the ISO image to the BIG-IP device
  6. 6. Follow F5 upgrade procedures to install version 16.1.2
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify that TMM is running normally and the affected virtual servers are functional
  8. 8. Monitor for any unexpected TMM terminations
Caveat Review F5 release notes for 16.1.2 to confirm no compatibility issues with existing configurations; always test in a staging environment before production deployment

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,780
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,448.

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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-2022-23021 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