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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2023-24461

MEDIUM · 5.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.2.4.1 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
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
An improper certificate validation vulnerability exists in the BIG-IP Edge Client for Windows and macOS and may allow an attacker to impersonate a BIG-IP APM system.  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

The BIG-IP Edge Client for Windows and macOS fails to properly validate server certificates during SSL/TLS connections, allowing an attacker to present a malicious certificate and impersonate the legitimate BIG-IP APM system. This enables man-in-the-middle attacks where traffic can be intercepted or redirected.

MitigationUpdate the BIG-IP Edge Client to a patched version that properly validates server certificates. Ensure the client is configured to trust only the legitimate BIG-IP APM server's certificate chain.

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:>= 7.2.2, < 7.2.4.1>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.8>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.3>= 17.0.0, <= 17.1.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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. Identify BIG-IP Edge Client installation
    On Windows, check Program Files/F5 Networks/BIG-IP Edge Client folder or open Programs and Features. On macOS, run 'ls /Applications | grep -i "BIG-IP Edge"' in Terminal
    Affected if The BIG-IP Edge Client is present on the system
  2. Determine installed client version
    On Windows, right-click the client in Programs and Features and select Properties to view the version, or open the client and check Help > About. On macOS, right-click the app in Applications and select Get Info, or run 'mdls -name kMDItemVersion /Applications/BIG-IP\ Edge\ Client.app'
    Affected if Version falls within affected ranges: >= 7.2.2 and < 7.2.4.1; or >= 13.1.0 through 13.1.5; or >= 14.1.0 through 14.1.5; or >= 15.1.0 through 15.1.8; or >= 16.1.0 through 16.1.3; or >= 17.0.0 through 17.1.0
  3. Confirm client is used for APM connections
    Open the BIG-IP Edge Client and review configured connections or profiles. Look for connection entries that target BIG-IP Access Policy Manager servers
    Affected if The client has active or configured connections to BIG-IP APM systems
  4. Inspect certificate validation configuration
    In the client connection settings, locate SSL/TLS or certificate validation options. Check whether server certificate verification is enabled, disabled, or set to trust all certificates
    Affected if Server certificate validation is disabled or set to trust any certificate

The system is affected if the BIG-IP Edge Client is installed with a version matching the affected ranges AND is configured to connect to BIG-IP APM servers, with certificate validation disabled or improperly configured.

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 7.2.4.1 or later
Fixed in 7.2.4.1
Interim mitigation

Update the BIG-IP Edge Client to a patched version that properly validates server certificates. Ensure the client is configured to trust only the legitimate BIG-IP APM server's certificate chain.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

7.2.4.1 or later (7.2.x branch); 13.1.5.1 or later (13.1.x branch); 14.1.5.1 or later (14.1.x branch); 15.1.8.1 or later (15.1.x branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of BIG-IP APM using 'tmsh show sys version' or the web management interface.
  2. 2. For 7.2.x branch: Upgrade to version 7.2.4.1 or later.
  3. 3. For 13.1.x branch: Upgrade to version 13.1.5.1 or later (or the latest available supported version).
  4. 4. For 14.1.x branch: Upgrade to version 14.1.5.1 or later (or the latest available supported version).
  5. 5. For 15.1.x branch: Upgrade to version 15.1.8.1 or later (or the latest available supported version).
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the BIG-IP Edge Client functionality and confirm the certificate validation is working correctly.
Caveat Upgrading major versions may require compatibility review of existing configurations and Edge Client deployments; test in 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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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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-2023-24461 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