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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-26372

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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 F5 BIG-IP 15.1.x versions prior to 15.1.0.2, 14.1.x versions prior to 14.1.4.6, 13.1.x versions prior to 13.1.5, and all versions of 12.1.x and 11.6.x, when a DNS listener is configured on a virtual server with DNS queueing (default), undisclosed requests can cause an increase in memory resource utilization. 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

F5 BIG-IP contains a memory exhaustion vulnerability in the DNS listener when configured on a virtual server with DNS queueing enabled (default setting). Undisclosed DNS requests can cause excessive memory resource utilization, potentially leading to denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade to F5 BIG-IP 15.1.0.2+, 14.1.4.6+, or 13.1.5+ to resolve. Alternatively, implement DNS request rate limiting or filtering on affected virtual servers to mitigate memory exhaustion until upgrade can be performed.

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:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6

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 installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or check the web UI under Device Management > Overview to find the exact version number
    Affected if Version is 11.6.1 through 12.1.6 inclusive for any installed module (APM, AFM, Analytics, AAM, ASM, DNS, FPS, GTM)
  2. Verify DNS listener is configured on any virtual server
    Check virtual server configurations for any that have a DNS profile or DNS listener enabled. Use 'tmsh list ltm virtual' and look for dns-profile or dns-listen-addr settings
    Affected if A virtual server has a DNS profile or DNS listener configured
  3. Confirm DNS queueing is in default enabled state
    Check the DNS profile or virtual server DNS settings for the queueing configuration. By default DNS queueing is enabled and requires no explicit configuration
    Affected if DNS queueing remains at default setting (enabled) - this is the default state so unless explicitly disabled the system is potentially affected
  4. Check for abnormal memory utilization
    Monitor memory usage via 'tmsh show sys memory' or the web UI Dashboard. Look for unusually high memory consumption that correlates with DNS traffic patterns
    Affected if Memory utilization is abnormally high, especially when DNS traffic is being processed on virtual servers with DNS listeners

You are affected if running BIG-IP version 11.6.1-12.1.6 with any virtual server that has a DNS listener configured and DNS queueing at default enabled state, causing elevated memory consumption from DNS requests.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to F5 BIG-IP 15.1.0.2+, 14.1.4.6+, or 13.1.5+ to resolve. Alternatively, implement DNS request rate limiting or filtering on affected virtual servers to mitigate memory exhaustion until upgrade can be performed.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to BIG-IP 15.1.0.2+ or 14.1.4.6+ or 13.1.5+ (or latest supported 14.1.x/15.1.x)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the web UI.
  2. 2. Review the F5 release notes and compatibility matrix to determine the appropriate upgrade path for your environment.
  3. 3. Back up the current configuration using 'tmsh save sys config' and create a UCS archive using 'tmsh save sys ucs <filename>'.
  4. 4. Download the appropriate hotfix or upgrade image from the F5 downloads portal (support.f5.com) based on your current major version.
  5. 5. For BIG-IP 15.1.x: upgrade to version 15.1.0.2 or later.
  6. 6. For BIG-IP 14.1.x: upgrade to version 14.1.4.6 or later.
  7. 7. For BIG-IP 13.1.x: upgrade to version 13.1.5 or later.
  8. 8. For BIG-IP 12.1.x or 11.6.x: upgrade to a supported version branch (14.1.x or 15.1.x recommended) as these versions are End of Technical Support.
Caveat The 11.6.x and 12.1.x versions are End of Technical Support - upgrading to a newer branch may require significant testing and could introduce compatibility changes with existing configurations.

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
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2022-26372 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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