dbcve.org
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-28859

MEDIUM · 6.5 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 →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 F5 BIG-IP 15.1.x versions prior to 15.1.5.1 and 14.1.x versions prior to 14.1.4.6, when installing Net HSM, the scripts (nethsm-safenet-install.sh and nethsm-thales-install.sh) expose the Net HSM partition password. 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

In F5 BIG-IP versions 14.1.x prior to 14.1.4.6 and 15.1.x prior to 15.1.5.1, the Net HSM installation scripts (nethsm-safenet-install.sh and nethsm-thales-install.sh) expose the Net HSM partition password in plaintext, allowing unauthorized actors to obtain sensitive cryptographic credentials used for Hardware Security Module authentication.

MitigationUpgrade F5 BIG-IP to version 15.1.5.1 or 14.1.4.6 or later to obtain patched installation scripts that no longer expose the Net HSM partition password. Consider rotating any Net HSM partition passwords that may have been exposed during installation using the vulnerable scripts.

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:= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2= 15.1.3= 15.1.4= 15.1.5= 16.1.0= 16.1.1
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2= 15.1.3= 15.1.4= 15.1.5= 16.1.0= 16.1.1
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2= 15.1.3= 15.1.4= 15.1.5= 16.1.0= 16.1.1
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2= 15.1.3= 15.1.4= 15.1.5= 16.1.0= 16.1.1
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2= 15.1.3= 15.1.4= 15.1.5= 16.1.0= 16.1.1
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2= 15.1.3= 15.1.4= 15.1.5= 16.1.0= 16.1.1
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2= 15.1.3= 15.1.4= 15.1.5= 16.1.0= 16.1.1
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:= 14.1.0= 14.1.2= 14.1.3= 14.1.4= 15.1.0= 15.1.1= 15.1.2= 15.1.3= 15.1.4= 15.1.5= 16.1.0= 16.1.1

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

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

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 access the web UI to view the system version under System > Software Management > ISO Image
    Affected if Version is 14.1.0 through 14.1.4.5, or 15.1.0 through 15.1.5.0, or 16.1.0-16.1.1 (note: 16.x is not explicitly listed as fixed, only affected versions are shown)
  2. Locate Net HSM installation scripts
    Search for files named 'nethsm-safenet-install.sh' and 'nethsm-thales-install.sh' on the system, typically under /shared/surebackup or similar installation directories
    Affected if These scripts exist on the system and were used for Net HSM configuration
  3. Inspect script contents for plaintext passwords
    Use 'cat' or 'grep' to examine the installation scripts and search for password-related variables or plaintext credential strings (e.g., look for 'partition_password', 'hsm_password', or similar patterns)
    Affected if The scripts contain plaintext Net HSM partition passwords or other credential strings in cleartext
  4. Check if Net HSM is configured
    Run 'tmsh list ltm hsm' or check the Net HSM configuration status via the web UI under Security > Hardware Security Module
    Affected if Net HSM is actively configured or was previously configured using the vulnerable installation scripts

You are affected if your BIG-IP version falls within the affected ranges AND Net HSM installation scripts exist with plaintext password exposure, indicating the credentials may have been accessible to unauthorized actors.

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 F5 BIG-IP to version 15.1.5.1 or 14.1.4.6 or later to obtain patched installation scripts that no longer expose the Net HSM partition password. Consider rotating any Net HSM partition passwords that may have been exposed during installation using the vulnerable scripts.

Recommended fix High confidence

F5 BIG-IP 14.1.4.6 (or 15.1.5.1 for 15.1.x branches)

  1. Upgrade F5 BIG-IP 14.1.x to version 14.1.4.6 or later to resolve the Net HSM partition password exposure in installation scripts
  2. Alternatively, if running BIG-IP 15.1.x, upgrade to version 15.1.5.1 or later
  3. After upgrade, verify that the nethsm-safenet-install.sh and nethsm-thales-install.sh scripts no longer expose sensitive credentials in logs
  4. Review system logs to confirm no prior password leakage occurred
Caveat Standard F5 upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for compatibility and backup configuration before upgrading

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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-28859 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-28859 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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