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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2023-40537

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.1.9 / 16.1.4 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 authenticated user's session cookie may remain valid for a limited time after logging out from the BIG-IP Configuration utility on a multi-blade VIPRION platform.  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

This is a session management vulnerability in the BIG-IP Configuration utility where session cookies remain valid for a limited time after a user logs out on multi-blade VIPRION platforms. An attacker with access to the same network or stolen cookies could potentially hijack sessions even after legitimate logout.

MitigationApply the F5 hotfix/patch for CVE-2023-40537 when available. Until then, consider enforcing additional network segmentation or using IP restrictions for administrative access to mitigate session reuse attacks.

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, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.9>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.4
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.9>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.4
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.9>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.4
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.9>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.4
Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.9>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.4
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.9>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.4
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.9>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.4
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.9>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.4

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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. Check the BIG-IP system version
    Run `tmsh show sys version` or `bigpipe version` to retrieve the installed BIG-IP version
    Affected if The version falls within 13.1.0-14.1.5, 15.1.0-15.1.8, or 16.1.0-16.1.3
  2. Identify provisioned BIG-IP modules
    Run `tmsh list sys provision` to list all provisioned modules
    Affected if Any of these modules are provisioned: APM, AFM, ASM, DNS, LTM, AWAF, Analytics, or Application Acceleration Manager
  3. Determine if running on VIPRION hardware
    Run `tmsh show sys hardware` or check `tmsh list sys platform` to identify the platform type
    Affected if The system is a VIPRION multi-blade chassis (model typically shows as VIPRION B2250, B2100, etc.)
  4. Check if Configuration utility is accessible
    Verify the management web interface (GUI) is reachable on port 443 or 8443 via `tmsh list sys httpd`
    Affected if The Configuration utility is enabled and accessible over network

If the BIG-IP version is in the affected ranges, any module is provisioned, and the system is a VIPRION multi-blade platform with the Configuration utility accessible, the environment is vulnerable to stale session cookie reuse after logout.

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 15.1.9 / 16.1.4 or later
Fixed in 15.1.916.1.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the F5 hotfix/patch for CVE-2023-40537 when available. Until then, consider enforcing additional network segmentation or using IP restrictions for administrative access to mitigate session reuse attacks.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 14.1.6+ (for 14.1.x branch), 15.1.9+ (for 15.1.x branch), or 16.1.4+ (for 16.1.x branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by checking the Configuration utility (System > Software Management > ISO Image) or via tmsh: `show sys version`
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your current installation is on (13.1.x, 14.1.x, 15.1.x, or 16.1.x)
  3. 3. For version 13.1.x: Upgrade to a version that includes the fix; contact F5 support for specific guidance as 13.1.x may require upgrade to next stable branch
  4. 4. For version 14.1.x: Upgrade to version 14.1.6 or later
  5. 5. For version 15.1.x: Upgrade to version 15.1.9 or later
  6. 6. For version 16.1.x: Upgrade to version 16.1.4 or later
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the fix by logging into the Configuration utility, logging out, and confirming the session cookie is invalidated immediately
  8. 8. Test in a staging environment before applying to production
Caveat Review F5 release notes for each version for potential compatibility issues; major version upgrades (e.g., 14.x to 15.x or 16.x) may require configuration migration testing

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.

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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-2023-40537 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