dbcve.org
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2022-35245

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.1.5.1 / 15.1.6.1 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
In BIG-IP Versions 16.1.x before 16.1.3.1, 15.1.x before 15.1.6.1, and 14.1.x before 14.1.5.1, when a BIG-IP APM access policy is configured on a virtual server, undisclosed traffic can cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate. 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 Versions 16.1.x before 16.1.3.1, 15.1.x before 15.1.6.1, and 14.1.x before 14.1.5.1, when an APM access policy is configured on a virtual server, specific undisclosed traffic patterns trigger a denial of service condition causing the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate, resulting in service disruption.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 16.1.3.1, 15.1.6.1, or 14.1.5.1 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, consider removing APM access policy configurations from virtual servers not requiring them to reduce attack surface.

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, < 14.1.5.1>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.6.1>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.1

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 view the version via the web UI (Statistics > Performance > System). Compare the installed version against the affected ranges: 14.1.0 through 14.1.5.0, 15.1.0 through 15.1.6.0, or 16.1.0 through 16.1.3.0.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of the affected ranges.
  2. Verify APM module provisioning
    Run `tmsh list /sys provision apm` to confirm APM is provisioned on the device.
    Affected if APM is provisioned (shows 'state' as 'provisioned' or 'nominal').
  3. Identify virtual servers with APM access policies
    Run `tmsh list /ltm virtual all` and look for access-policy or access-profile references in the virtual server configurations. Alternatively, in the web UI, navigate to Local Traffic > Virtual Servers and check the Access Policy section for each virtual server.
    Affected if Any virtual server has an access-policy or access-profile configured.

If the BIG-IP version is within the affected ranges AND APM is provisioned AND at least one virtual server has an access policy configured, the environment is potentially affected by this DoS vulnerability.

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 14.1.5.1 / 15.1.6.1 / 16.1.3.1 or later
Fixed in 14.1.5.115.1.6.116.1.3.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 16.1.3.1, 15.1.6.1, or 14.1.5.1 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, consider removing APM access policy configurations from virtual servers not requiring them to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 16.1.3.1 (or 15.1.6.1 or 14.1.5.1 depending on your major version branch)

  1. 1. Identify all virtual servers using BIG-IP APM access policies in your configuration
  2. 2. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade will require service interruption
  3. 3. Create a UCS (UCS archive) or SCF (Small Configuration File) backup of the current configuration
  4. 4. Download the appropriate hotfix or base version for your release: 16.1.3.1 or later for 16.1.x, 15.1.6.1 or later for 15.1.x, 14.1.5.1 or later for 14.1.x
  5. 5. Upload the ISO/image to the BIG-IP system
  6. 6. Install the upgrade via WebUI (Traffic Management Operating System > ISO Image > Install) or via tmsh: 'install sys software volume <volume-name>','7. Reboot the system to boot into the new volume
  7. 8. After reboot, verify the TMM processes are running and the virtual servers are accessible
  8. 9. Confirm the APM access policies are functioning correctly
Caveat Standard F5 upgrade considerations apply: verify UCS backup before proceeding, test in staging environment first if possible, and note that any custom iRules or Lua scripts interacting with APM may need revalidation

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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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-2022-35245 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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