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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-27878

MEDIUM · 6.8 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 →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 all versions of 16.1.x, 15.1.x, 14.1.x, 13.1.x, 12.1.x, and 11.6.x of F5 BIG-IP, and F5 BIG-IP Guided Configuration (GC) all versions prior to 9.0, a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in an undisclosed page of the BIG-IP Configuration utility that allows an attacker to execute JavaScript in the context of the currently logged-in user. 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 · moderate confidence

A stored (persistent) cross-site scripting vulnerability exists in the F5 BIG-IP Configuration utility across multiple version branches (11.6.x through 16.1.x). An attacker can inject malicious JavaScript that persists on an undisclosed configuration page, which executes when other authenticated users view that page, potentially allowing session hijacking or privileged actions performed in the context of the victim user.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or upgrade to a fixed version as specified in F5 advisory K57020235. As an interim control, restrict access to the Configuration utility to trusted users only and implement Content Security Policy headers.

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
Big Ip Advanced Firewall 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 AnalyticsApplication
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 Acceleration 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 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
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
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 Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
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 Global Traffic 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
High
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/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 version
    Run 'tmsh show /sys version' or inspect /etc/product_version to determine the installed version
    Affected if The version matches 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
  2. Verify provisioned modules
    Run 'tmsh list /sys provision' to list all provisioned BIG-IP modules
    Affected if Any of these modules are provisioned: APM, AFM, Analytics, AAM, ASM, DNS, FPS, or GTM on an affected version
  3. Confirm Configuration utility access
    Check if the BIG-IP Configuration utility (web-based management at port 443 or 8443) is accessible by reviewing exposed management interfaces
    Affected if The Configuration utility is exposed and reachable on the network
  4. Identify active management users
    Review /var/log/audit for suspicious user activity or examine /tmp for unexpected session files
    Affected if Unexpected JavaScript is found in logs or configuration pages viewed by multiple users

You are affected if your BIG-IP runs version 13.1.0-15.1.2, has any of the listed modules provisioned, and the Configuration utility is accessible to users who could inject the stored XSS payload.

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

Apply the vendor-supplied patch or upgrade to a fixed version as specified in F5 advisory K57020235. As an interim control, restrict access to the Configuration utility to trusted users only and implement Content Security Policy headers.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the latest hotfix for your respective version branch (16.1.x, 15.1.x, 14.1.x, 13.1.x, 12.1.x, or 11.6.x). For example, for 13.1.x branch, upgrade to 13.1.5 or later (check F5 K52145254 for specific fixed versions).

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed BIG-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the Configuration utility login page.
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on your current major version (11.6.x, 12.1.x, 13.1.x, 14.1.x, 15.1.x, or 16.1.x).
  3. 3. Review F5 End of Life policy to ensure your version branch is still supported.
  4. 4. Download the latest hotfix or maintenance release for your version branch from the F5 Downloads site (downloads.f5.com).
  5. 5. Before applying in production, test the upgrade in a non-production environment to verify compatibility.
  6. 6. Back up the current BIG-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config' and create a UCS archive using 'tmsh save /sys ucs <filename>'.
  7. 7. Apply the upgrade following F5 BIG-IP upgrade instructions (see K13405: Upgrading the BIG-IP system).
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify the vulnerability is resolved and confirm all services are functioning normally.
Caveat Minor: Review release notes for any configuration changes or deprecated features in the target version. Test thoroughly 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 / 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-2022-27878 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data