Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication · F5

CVE-2023-22839

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-01

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.1.5.3 / 15.1.7 or later.

See remediation →

84/100

Remediation priority · High

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

On BIG-IP versions 17.0.x before 17.0.0.2, 16.1.x before 16.1.3.3, 15.1.x before 15.1.8.1, 14.1.x before 14.1.5.3, and all version of 13.1.x, when a DNS profile with the Rapid Response Mode setting enabled is configured on a virtual server with hardware SYN cookies enabled, undisclosed requests cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a denial-of-service vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP where the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) terminates when a DNS profile with Rapid Response Mode is configured on a virtual server that has hardware SYN cookies enabled. The specific requests triggering this crash are undisclosed.

MitigationUpgrade BIG-IP to version 17.0.0.2, 16.1.3.3, 15.1.8.1, or 14.1.5.3 or later. Software SYN cookies may be used as a workaround if upgrading is not immediately feasible.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication

Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5.3>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.7>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.3>= 17.0.0, < 17.0.0.2

Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication

Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5.3>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.7>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.3>= 17.0.0, < 17.0.0.2

Big Ip 10000s FirmwareOperating system

Affected:all versions

Big Ip 10200v FirmwareOperating system

Affected:all versions

Big Ip 10200v Ssl FirmwareOperating system

Affected:all versions

Big Ip 12000 FirmwareOperating system

Affected:all versions

Big Ip 5000s FirmwareOperating system

Affected:all versions

Big Ip 5200v FirmwareOperating system

Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Check BIG-IP software version

Run 'tmsh show /sys version' or 'bigpipe version' to obtain the installed BIG-IP version. Compare it against the affected ranges: 13.1.0-13.1.5, 14.1.0-14.1.5.2, 15.1.0-15.1.7, 16.1.0-16.1.3.2, or 17.0.0-17.0.0.1

Affected if The version falls within any of the listed affected ranges and the product is BIG-IP DNS or LTM
Identify DNS profiles with Rapid Response Mode

Run 'tmsh list ltm dns-profile all-properties' and inspect each profile for 'rapid-response-mode enabled' or similar configuration

Affected if Any DNS profile has Rapid Response Mode enabled
Identify virtual servers with hardware SYN cookies

Run 'tmsh list ltm virtual all-properties' and search for 'syn-cookie hardware' or 'syn-cookie enabled' with hardware-specific settings on each virtual server

Affected if Any virtual server has hardware SYN cookies explicitly enabled
Check for exposed DNS profile on virtual server

Review the output from step 3 to see which virtual servers reference a DNS profile, then cross-reference with step 2 to identify if Rapid Response Mode is used on that virtual server

Affected if A virtual server with hardware SYN cookies is assigned a DNS profile that has Rapid Response Mode enabled

You are affected if your BIG-IP version is within the vulnerable ranges AND you have a DNS profile with Rapid Response Mode applied to a virtual server that has hardware SYN cookies enabled, as this specific combination triggers the TMM crash.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 14.1.5.3 / 15.1.7 / 16.1.3.3 or later

Fixed in 14.1.5.315.1.716.1.3.3

Interim mitigation

Upgrade BIG-IP to version 17.0.0.2, 16.1.3.3, 15.1.8.1, or 14.1.5.3 or later. Software SYN cookies may be used as a workaround if upgrading is not immediately feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIG-IP 13.1.x: upgrade to 14.1.5.3+ or later | BIG-IP 14.1.x: upgrade to 14.1.5.3 | BIG-IP 15.1.x: upgrade to 15.1.8.1 | BIG-IP 16.1.x: upgrade to 16.1.3.3 | BIG-IP 17.0.x: upgrade to 17.0.0.2

1. Identify the currently installed BIG-IP version using 'tmsh show sys version' or the web UI.
2. For BIG-IP 17.0.x: Upgrade to version 17.0.0.2 or later.
3. For BIG-IP 16.1.x: Upgrade to version 16.1.3.3 or later.
4. For BIG-IP 15.1.x: Upgrade to version 15.1.8.1 or later.
5. For BIG-IP 14.1.x: Upgrade to version 14.1.5.3 or later.
6. For BIG-IP 13.1.x: No patch available; upgrade to a supported version (14.1.5.3 or later) as 13.1.x has reached End of Technical Support.
7. After upgrade, verify the DNS profile and virtual server configuration to ensure proper operation.

Caveat Upgrading across major versions (e.g., 13.1.x to 14.1.x+) may introduce configuration or compatibility changes; review F5 upgrade documentation before proceeding

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Big Ip Domain Name System Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation6.0 h
Testing3.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

15.0 hours of engineering $2,690

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,304.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-22839 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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References

Primary sources

my.f5.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-22839 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2023-22839?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 14.1.5.3 / 15.1.7 or later

Severity 7.5 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.6%

Affects: Big Ip Domain Name System

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Big Ip Domain Name System 15 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,690

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2023-22839 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References