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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2023-27378

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.1.5.4 / 15.1.8.2 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Multiple reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities exist in undisclosed pages of the BIG-IP Configuration utility which allow an attacker to run JavaScript in the context of the currently logged-in user.  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

Multiple reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities exist in undisclosed pages of F5 BIG-IP Configuration utility. Attackers can inject malicious JavaScript via crafted URLs that get reflected back to the user, executing in the context of the logged-in user's session.

MitigationApply F5-provided patches for BIG-IP to address the vulnerable configuration utility pages; users should avoid clicking untrusted links to prevent session hijacking.

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, < 14.1.5.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.8.2>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.4>= 17.0.0, < 17.1.0.1
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.8.2>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.4>= 17.0.0, < 17.1.0.1
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.8.2>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.4>= 17.0.0, < 17.1.0.1
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.8.2>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.4>= 17.0.0, < 17.1.0.1
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.8.2>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.4>= 17.0.0, < 17.1.0.1
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.8.2>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.4>= 17.0.0, < 17.1.0.1
Big Ip Application Visibility And ReportingApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.8.2>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.4>= 17.0.0, < 17.1.0.1
Big Ip Carrier Grade NatApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, < 14.1.5.4>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.8.2>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.3.4>= 17.0.0, < 17.1.0.1

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or check the Configuration utility login page footer for the version number
    Affected if The version falls within 13.1.0-13.1.5, 14.1.0-14.1.4.x, 15.1.0-15.1.8.1, 16.1.0-16.1.3.3, or 17.0.0-17.1.0.0
  2. Determine which BIG-IP modules are licensed
    Run 'tmsh list sys license' or check the license information in the Configuration utility under System > License
    Affected if Any of these modules are licensed: APM, AFM, ASM, Analytics, AAM, AVR, or CGNAT
  3. Check if Configuration utility is externally accessible
    Review network access lists or firewall rules to determine if the BIG-IP Configuration utility (typically ports 443 or 8443) is exposed to untrusted networks
    Affected if The Configuration utility is reachable from the internet or untrusted networks
  4. Review HTTP responses for reflected parameters
    Send a test request to the Configuration utility with a unique test string in the URL query and examine if that string is reflected in the response without proper encoding
    Affected if URL parameters are reflected in the response without HTML encoding
  5. Check for module-specific version patches
    Run 'tmsh show sys software' to list installed hotfixes and compare against the fixed versions: 13.1.5.4, 14.1.5.4, 15.1.8.2, 16.1.3.4, 17.1.0.1
    Affected if The installed hotfix version is lower than the fixed version for your major release

Your environment is affected if you are running any of the listed BIG-IP modules (APM, AFM, ASM, Analytics, AAM, AVR, CGNAT) with a version that falls within the affected ranges and the Configuration utility is accessible to potential attackers.

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 14.1.5.4 / 15.1.8.2 / 16.1.3.4 or later
Fixed in 14.1.5.415.1.8.216.1.3.4
Interim mitigation

Apply F5-provided patches for BIG-IP to address the vulnerable configuration utility pages; users should avoid clicking untrusted links to prevent session hijacking.

Recommended fix High confidence

14.1.5.4 (for 14.1.x), 15.1.8.2 (for 15.1.x), or 16.1.3.4 (for 16.1.x)

  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 which version branch is currently deployed (13.1.x, 14.1.x, 15.1.x, or 16.1.x)
  3. 3. For 13.1.x deployments: Plan migration to a later major version as 13.1.x has reached End of Technical Support
  4. 4. For 14.1.x deployments: Upgrade to version 14.1.5.4 or later
  5. 5. For 15.1.x deployments: Upgrade to version 15.1.8.2 or later
  6. 6. For 16.1.x deployments: Upgrade to version 16.1.3.4 or later
  7. 7. Download the appropriate ISO/IMG from F5 Downloads (https://downloads.f5.com) or F5 Customer Portal
  8. 8. Perform upgrade during a planned maintenance window following F5 upgrade documentation
Caveat Upgrading major versions may require configuration review; ensure compatibility with existing policies and review F5 release notes 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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2023-27378 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