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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-31473

HIGH · 7.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.1.4 or later.
See remediation →
83/100
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
In BIG-IP Versions 16.1.x before 16.1.1 and 15.1.x before 15.1.4, when running in Appliance mode, an authenticated attacker may be able to bypass Appliance mode restrictions due to a directory traversal vulnerability in an undisclosed page within iApps. A successful exploit can allow the attacker to cross a security boundary. 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 directory traversal vulnerability in an undisclosed page within iApps allows authenticated attackers to bypass Appliance mode restrictions on affected BIG-IP devices. The flaw enables crossing security boundaries through path traversal, potentially exposing sensitive system functions that should be restricted in Appliance mode.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 16.1.1 or 15.1.4 or later to patch the directory traversal vulnerability in iApps that allows bypassing Appliance mode restrictions.

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, < 15.1.4= 16.1.0

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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. Determine BIG-IP APM version
    Run the command 'tmsh show /sys version' or 'b version' on the command line, or check System > Software > Image in the web management interface
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 15.1.0 and < 15.1.4, or equals exactly 16.1.0
  2. Verify Appliance mode is configured
    Run 'tmsh show /sys apm-settings' or check the APM configuration via the web UI under Access Policy > APM Settings to confirm Appliance mode restrictions are in place
    Affected if Appliance mode is enabled on the device (the bypass targets this specific security mode)
  3. Confirm iApps is accessible
    Check if the iApps interface is accessible via the web UI (Local Traffic > iApps) or via tmsh by listing active iApps packages with 'tmsh list sys app']
    Affected if iApps is deployed and accessible on the BIG-IP device, making the undisclosed page potentially reachable

A system is affected if it runs BIG-IP APM version 15.1.0 through 15.1.3, 15.1.4 (if unpatched), or exactly 16.1.0, has Appliance mode restrictions in place, and has iApps accessible to authenticated users who could exploit the directory traversal.

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 15.1.4 or later
Fixed in 15.1.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 16.1.1 or 15.1.4 or later to patch the directory traversal vulnerability in iApps that allows bypassing Appliance mode restrictions.

Recommended fix High confidence

15.1.4+ for 15.1.x branch; 16.1.1+ for 16.1.x branch

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP APM version by checking System > Software Management > IMAGE LIST or running 'tmsh show sys version'
  2. 2. If running 15.1.0-15.1.3, plan upgrade to 15.1.4 or later (15.1.x LTS)
  3. 3. If running exactly 16.1.0, plan upgrade to 16.1.1 or later
  4. 4. Before upgrading, back up the BIG-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config'
  5. 5. Download the appropriate hotfix from F5 Networks support portal (support.f5.com) - requires F5 account with valid support contract
  6. 6. Upload the ISO/image via WebUI (System > Software Management > IMAGE LIST > Upload) or CLI
  7. 7. Install the image and reboot using the F5 upgrade procedure: 'tmsh install sys software hotfix <image-name>'
  8. 8. After reboot, verify the new version is running and Appliance mode functionality works as expected
Caveat Review F5 release notes for 15.1.4 and 16.1.1 for any configuration or compatibility changes 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
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,780
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,448.

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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-2022-31473 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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