Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-29480

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 13.1.x versions prior to 13.1.5, and all versions of 12.1.x and 11.6.x, when multiple route domains are configured, undisclosed requests to big3d can cause an increase in CPU 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 · moderate confidence

On F5 BIG-IP with multiple route domains configured, certain undisclosed requests to the big3d daemon can trigger excessive CPU utilization, potentially leading to denial of service. The vulnerability affects BIG-IP 13.1.x versions before 13.1.5, and all versions of 12.1.x and 11.6.x. The attack specifically targets the big3d component when route domains are present.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 13.1.5 or later. For systems that cannot be upgraded immediately, consider isolating or restricting access to the big3d service and monitoring CPU utilization on devices with multiple route domains configured.

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:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:= 11.6.1= 11.6.2= 11.6.3= 11.6.4= 11.6.5= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.1.2= 12.1.3= 12.1.4= 12.1.5= 12.1.6

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. Identify BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' from the command line or check System > Software in the web UI
    Affected if Version is 11.6.1 through 11.6.5, 12.1.0 through 12.1.6, or 13.1.x before 13.1.5
  2. Verify route domain configuration
    Run 'tmsh show net route-domain all' to list all configured route domains
    Affected if More than one route domain exists on the system
  3. Confirm big3d daemon is active
    Run 'tmsh show sys service big3d' or use 'big3d -v' to check if the daemon is running
    Affected if The big3d service is enabled and running on the device

A system is affected when it runs a vulnerable BIG-IP version (11.6.x, 12.1.x, or 13.1.x before 13.1.5) AND has multiple route domains configured with the big3d daemon active.

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 version 13.1.5 or later. For systems that cannot be upgraded immediately, consider isolating or restricting access to the big3d service and monitoring CPU utilization on devices with multiple route domains configured.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIG-IP 13.1.5 or later (or latest stable 13.1.x/14.x/15.x/16.x release)

  1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by checking System > Software Management > Image List or using 'tmsh show sys version'
  2. Confirm multiple route domains are configured by running 'tmsh list net route-domain all'
  3. Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  4. Download BIG-IP 13.1.5 or later from the F5 downloads portal (note: 11.6.x and 12.1.x branches may require upgrade to 13.1.x or newer as they are End of Technical Support)
  5. Upload the ISO image to the BIG-IP via Web UI (System > Software Management > Image List)
  6. Create a new boot location: System > Software Management > Boot Location > New
  7. Select the uploaded image and appropriate volume to install
  8. Reboot the BIG-IP into the new volume using 'tmsh reboot volume <volume_name>'
Caveat Upgrading across major versions (e.g., 11.6.x to 13.1.x) may require configuration review; F5 recommends testing in a staging 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
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-29480 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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-2022-29480 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