Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-26890

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

NVD · unedited

On F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF, ASM, and APM 16.1.x versions prior to 16.1.2.1, 15.1.x versions prior to 15.1.5, 14.1.x versions prior to 14.1.4.6, and 13.1.x versions prior to 13.1.5, when ASM or Advanced WAF, as well as APM, are configured on a virtual server, the ASM policy is configured with Session Awareness, and the "Use APM Username and Session ID" option is enabled, undisclosed requests can cause the bd process to terminate. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is a denial of service vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP where undisclosed requests sent to a virtual server configured with ASM or Advanced WAF alongside APM, with Session Awareness enabled using the 'Use APM Username and Session ID' option, can cause the bd (buffer daemon) process to terminate unexpectedly, disrupting traffic processing.

MitigationUpgrade to fixed versions (16.1.2.1, 15.1.5, 14.1.4.6, or 13.1.5) or disable the 'Use APM Username and Session ID' option in the ASM policy's Session Awareness configuration 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

NVD · CPE data

Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication

Affected:= 13.1.0= 13.1.1= 13.1.3= 13.1.4= 13.1.5= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2

Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication

Affected:= 13.1.0= 13.1.1= 13.1.3= 13.1.4= 13.1.5= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2

Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication

Affected:= 13.1.0= 13.1.1= 13.1.3= 13.1.4= 13.1.5= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Check BIG-IP version

Run 'tmsh show sys version' or view the System > Software Management > Installé Software page in the web UI to determine the installed version.

Affected if The installed version is one of: 13.1.0, 13.1.1, 13.1.3, 13.1.4, 13.1.5, 14.1.0, 14.1.2, 14.1.3, 14.1.4, 15.1.0, 15.1.1, or 15.1.2.
Verify ASM or Advanced WAF is provisioned

Run 'tmsh show sys provision' or check System > Resource Provisioning in the web UI to see if Application Security Manager or Advanced Web Application Firewall is provisioned.

Affected if ASM or Advanced WAF is provisioned on the BIG-IP device.
Verify APM is provisioned

Run 'tmsh show sys provision' or check System > Resource Provisioning in the web UI to see if Access Policy Manager is provisioned.

Affected if APM is provisioned on the same BIG-IP device as ASM or Advanced WAF.
Check for virtual servers with both modules active

Review virtual server configurations via 'tmsh list ltm virtual' and inspect the security policy settings to determine if ASM/Advanced WAF and APM are both applied to any virtual server.

Affected if Any virtual server has both ASM/Advanced WAF policy and APM enabled.
Inspect Session Awareness configuration

Access the ASM or Advanced WAF policy settings and navigate to Session Awareness. Check if the option 'Use APM Username and Session ID' is enabled within the policy configuration.

Affected if Session Awareness is enabled using the 'Use APM Username and Session ID' option in the ASM/Advanced WAF policy applied to a virtual server.

The environment is affected if the BIG-IP version matches any of the listed affected versions AND a virtual server has both ASM or Advanced WAF with APM enabled AND Session Awareness is configured with the 'Use APM Username and Session ID' option.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Upgrade to fixed versions (16.1.2.1, 15.1.5, 14.1.4.6, or 13.1.5) or disable the 'Use APM Username and Session ID' option in the ASM policy's Session Awareness configuration as a workaround.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to BIG-IP 13.1.5 or later (13.1.x series) or consider upgrading to a supported version branch such as 14.1.4.6+, 15.1.5+, or 16.1.2.1+ for longer support

1. Identify the specific F5 BIG-IP product module affected (APM, ASM, or Advanced WAF) running on the system.
2. Determine the current installed version using command: tmsh show sys version or via the BIG-IP web interface under System > Software Management.
3. If running 13.1.0, 13.1.1, 13.1.3, or 13.1.4, plan for upgrade to 13.1.5.
4. Review the F5 Endless Summer release notes and upgrade guide at support.f5.com for prerequisite checks.
5. Create a backup of the current configuration using: tmsh save sys config.
6. Download the fixed version ISO/image from F5 Networks (13.1.5 or later).
7. Upload the ISO to the BIG-IP and install via System > Software Management > ISO Image.
8. Install the new version and reboot the system.

Caveat Upgrading BIG-IP firmware may cause temporary service interruption; ensure maintenance window is scheduled and verify compatibility of custom iRules and profiles with target version 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
Implementation8.0 h
Testing6.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

20.0 hours of engineering $3,500

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

support.f5.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-26890 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2022-26890?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

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

At a glance

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 7.5 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.9%

Affects: Big Ip Access Policy Manager

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager 20 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $3,500

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2022-26890 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References