dbcve.org
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-35243

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.1.5 / 15.1.6.1 or later.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 16.1.3, 15.1.x before 15.1.5.1, 14.1.x before 14.1.5, and all versions of 13.1.x, when running in Appliance mode, an authenticated user assigned the Administrator role may be able to bypass Appliance mode restrictions, using an undisclosed iControl REST endpoint. 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 · high confidence

In BIG-IP running Appliance mode, an authenticated Administrator role user can bypass Appliance mode restrictions through an undisclosed iControl REST endpoint. This allows the attacker to cross security boundaries and access resources or capabilities that should be restricted in Appliance mode.

MitigationApply vendor patches (BIG-IP 16.1.3, 15.1.5.1, or 14.1.5) to fix the undisclosed endpoint. Until patched, strictly limit iControl REST API access to trusted admin networks and monitor for anomalous API calls.

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, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.6.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.6.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.6.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.6.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.6.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.6.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3
Big Ip Fraud Protection ServiceApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.6.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3
Big Ip Global Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.6.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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. Identify the installed BIG-IP version
    Run command: tmsh show sys version | grep -i version or check via iControl REST: GET /mgmt/tm/sys/version
    Affected if The version falls within 13.1.0-13.1.5, 14.1.0-14.1.4, 15.1.0-15.1.6.0, or 16.1.0-16.1.2
  2. Confirm Appliance mode is enabled
    Run command: tmsh show sys module authentication or check System > Appliance in the web UI under Device Management > Devices
    Affected if Appliance mode is listed as enabled or the system is running in Appliance mode
  3. Review iControl REST API audit logs for the admin account
    Check /var/log/audit or use iControl REST: GET /mgmt/tm/audit with query parameters filtering for admin user activity
    Affected if There are API calls to unknown endpoints or unexpected privilege escalation actions from the admin account
  4. Check for unauthorized access to restricted resources
    Review system logs and iControl REST API logs for access to features restricted in Appliance mode such as tmsh command execution or system file access
    Affected if Admin-level API calls attempt to access resources or execute commands that should be blocked in Appliance mode

The system is affected if it runs a vulnerable BIG-IP version with Appliance mode enabled and shows suspicious iControl REST activity from an admin account attempting to bypass Appliance mode restrictions.

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 14.1.5 / 15.1.6.1 / 16.1.3 or later
Fixed in 14.1.515.1.6.116.1.3
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches (BIG-IP 16.1.3, 15.1.5.1, or 14.1.5) to fix the undisclosed endpoint. Until patched, strictly limit iControl REST API access to trusted admin networks and monitor for anomalous API calls.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 16.1.3 (or latest 16.1.x), or 15.1.5.1, or 14.1.5 depending on your branch; 13.1.x has no fix available (EoTS)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by navigating to System > Software Management > Image List or running 'tmsh show sys version'
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on your current version branch (13.1.x, 14.1.x, 15.1.x, or 16.1.x)
  3. 3. Download the fixed version ISO from F5 Networks (16.1.3, 15.1.5.1, or 14.1.5) from download.f5.com
  4. 4. Upload the ISO to the BIG-IP device via the web interface (System > Software Management > Image List) or via tmsh: 'tmsh install sys software volume <volume-name> disk <path-to-iso>'
  5. 5. Create a new boot volume for the upgrade: 'tmsh install sys software volume <new-volume> image <image-name>'
  6. 6. Reboot the system to boot into the new volume: 'tmsh reboot volume <new-volume-name>'
  7. 7. After reboot, verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version: 'tmsh show sys version'
  8. 8. Verify the Appliance mode bypass vulnerability is resolved by confirming the undisclosed iControl REST endpoint is no longer accessible to Administrator users in Appliance mode
Caveat Upgrading between major versions may require compatibility review of existing configurations and iRule syntax; consider 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
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-35243 — 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-2022-35243 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