dbcve.org
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-27181

MEDIUM · 5.3 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 →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 APM 16.1.x versions prior to 16.1.2.2, 15.1.x versions prior to 15.1.5.1, 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 APM is configured on a virtual server and the associated access profile is configured with APM AAA NTLM Auth, undisclosed requests can cause an increase in internal 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

When F5 BIG-IP APM is configured on a virtual server with an access profile using APM AAA NTLM authentication, certain undisclosed requests can trigger excessive internal resource utilization, potentially leading to denial of service. The vulnerability stems from how NTLM authentication handles specific request patterns.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to fixed versions (16.1.2.2, 15.1.5.1, 14.1.4.6, or 13.1.5) or disable NTLM authentication in APM access profiles 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:= 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 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
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

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 check the web UI under System > Software Management > BIG-IP Version to identify the installed version
    Affected if The installed version matches 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, 15.1.2
  2. Verify APM module is licensed
    Run 'tmsh show sys module' or check the web UI under System > License to confirm Access Policy Manager is licensed and enabled
    Affected if APM module shows as licensed and enabled
  3. Identify virtual servers with access profiles
    Run 'tmsh list ltm virtual one-access' to list all virtual servers that have an access profile assigned, or check each virtual server's configuration in the web UI under Local Traffic > Virtual Servers
    Affected if Any virtual server has an access profile configured (one-access value is not 'none')
  4. Check access profiles for NTLM AAA configuration
    Run 'tmsh list apm profile access <profile_name>' for each access profile, or view the access profile in the web UI under Access Policy > Access Profiles and navigate to the AAA NTLM settings
    Affected if An access profile has NTLM authentication enabled in its AAA NTLM configuration

The environment is affected if BIG-IP runs an affected version listed above, APM is licensed, and an access profile using NTLM authentication is assigned to any virtual server.

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 BIG-IP to fixed versions (16.1.2.2, 15.1.5.1, 14.1.4.6, or 13.1.5) or disable NTLM authentication in APM access profiles if not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIG-IP APM 13.1.5 or later (13.1.x branch)

  1. 1. Back up the current BIG-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config' or the configuration utility
  2. 2. Download BIG-IP APM version 13.1.5 or later from the F5 Networks download site (support.f5.com)
  3. 3. Upload the ISO image to the BIG-IP device
  4. 4. Verify the image integrity using the MD5/SHA256 checksum provided by F5
  5. 5. Install the upgrade using 'tmsh install sys software volume' or the configuration utility
  6. 6. Reboot the device to boot from the new software volume
  7. 7. After reboot, verify the new version is running: 'tmsh show sys version'
  8. 8. Confirm the APM AAA NTLM Auth functionality is working correctly
Caveat Before upgrading, review F5 release notes for any configuration changes or known issues between your current version and 13.1.5; test in a 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
  • 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-2022-27181 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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