dbcve.org
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-27634

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.1.5.1 / 16.1.2.2 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 16.1.x versions prior to 16.1.2.2 and 15.1.x versions prior to 15.1.5.1, BIG-IP APM does not properly validate configurations, allowing an authenticated attacker with high privileges to manipulate the APM policy leading to privilege escalation/remote code execution. 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

BIG-IP APM contains a configuration validation flaw where the access policy manager does not properly validate policy configurations. An authenticated attacker with high privileges can manipulate the APM policy to achieve privilege escalation and remote code execution on the affected system.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP APM to version 16.1.2.2 or later (16.1.x) or version 15.1.5.1 or later (15.1.x). This is a high-privilege authenticated vulnerability, so restrict administrative access and monitor for suspicious APM policy modifications.

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, < 15.1.5.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.2.2

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Check BIG-IP base version
    Run 'tmsh show /sys version' or view System > Software Management in the GUI to determine the installed BIG-IP version
    Affected if Version is >= 15.1.0 and < 15.1.5.1, or >= 16.1.0 and < 16.1.2.2
  2. Verify APM module is provisioned
    Run 'tmsh list sys provision apm' to check if the Access Policy Manager module is provisioned on the system
    Affected if APM is provisioned and version is in the affected range
  3. Review APM access policies for unauthorized changes
    Use 'tmsh list /apm policy access-policy all' to list all APM access policies and inspect for unexpected or suspicious policy configurations
    Affected if Policies contain unfamiliar or modified policy elements that were not authored by authorized administrators
  4. Check for custom APM agent or script executions
    Examine APM policy entries for assigned agents, especially 'iRule', 'Windows RD Gateway', or custom 'Agent' types that could execute code, via tmsh or the APM GUI under Access Policy > Visual Policy Editor
    Affected if Policies contain agent assignments that enable arbitrary command execution beyond normal authentication flows

The system is affected if BIG-IP version falls within 15.1.0-15.1.5.0 or 16.1.0-16.1.2.1 AND the APM module is provisioned and contains manipulated access policies granting elevated privileges.

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 15.1.5.1 / 16.1.2.2 or later
Fixed in 15.1.5.116.1.2.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP APM to version 16.1.2.2 or later (16.1.x) or version 15.1.5.1 or later (15.1.x). This is a high-privilege authenticated vulnerability, so restrict administrative access and monitor for suspicious APM policy modifications.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIG-IP APM 15.1.5.1 (for 15.1.x branch) or 16.1.2.2 (for 16.1.x branch)

  1. 1. Confirm current BIG-IP APM version by navigating to System > Software Management > ISO Image or checking the version via tmsh: show sys version
  2. 2. Download the appropriate fixed version from F5 Networks support portal (support.f5.com): 15.1.5.1 for 15.1.x branch or 16.1.2.2 for 16.1.x branch
  3. 3. Prior to upgrade, create a UCS backup: tmsh save sys ucs <filename>
  4. 4. Upload the ISO image via GUI (System > Software Management > ISO Image > Upload) or via tmsh
  5. 5. Install the new version: tmsh install sys software volume <volume-name> image <image-name>
  6. 6. Reboot the BIG-IP device into the new software volume
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the version is running: tmsh show sys version
  8. 8. Verify APM functionality and test access policies are working correctly
Caveat Review F5 release notes for any known issues between current and target version; 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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get the upgrade done

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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-2022-27634 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