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Big Ip Next Service Proxy For KubernetesApplication · F5

CVE-2023-45226

HIGH · 7.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
83/100
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
The BIG-IP SPK TMM (Traffic Management Module) f5-debug-sidecar and f5-debug-sshd containers contains hardcoded credentials that may allow an attacker with the ability to intercept traffic to impersonate the SPK Secure Shell (SSH) server on those containers. This is only exposed when ssh debug is enabled.  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 f5-debug-sidecar and f5-debug-sshd containers in BIG-IP SPK TMM contain hardcoded credentials that allow an attacker with traffic interception capability to impersonate the SPK SSH server, but this exposure is limited to instances where SSH debug mode is enabled.

MitigationDisable SSH debug mode on affected BIG-IP SPK deployments when not actively troubleshooting, and update to a patched version once available to address the hardcoded credential issue.

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 Next Service Proxy For KubernetesApplication
Affected:= 1.5.0

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 F5 Big-IP Next Service Proxy for Kubernetes installation
    Check if the F5 Big-IP Next Service Proxy for Kubernetes product is deployed in your environment by reviewing your container orchestration manifests, helm charts, or kubernetes namespaces for f5-debug-sidecar or f5-debug-sshd containers.
    Affected if The f5-debug-sidecar or f5-debug-sshd containers are present in your deployment.
  2. Verify the installed version
    Check the version of your F5 Big-IP Next Service Proxy for Kubernetes installation by inspecting the container images, helm chart version, or the product's built-in version reporting. Compare against version 1.5.0 specifically.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.5.0.
  3. Confirm SSH debug mode is enabled
    Inspect your SPK deployment configuration for SSH debug mode settings. This may be in ConfigMaps, deployment manifests, or environment variables controlling the debug-sidecar or debug-sshd functionality. Look for flags such as DEBUG_SSH, SSH_DEBUG, or debug-related configuration in the f5-debug containers.
    Affected if SSH debug mode is actively enabled on your BIG-IP SPK deployment.

You are affected only if you have F5 Big-IP Next Service Proxy for Kubernetes version 1.5.0 AND SSH debug mode is currently enabled, as the hardcoded credential vulnerability only applies when the debug containers are in use.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable SSH debug mode on affected BIG-IP SPK deployments when not actively troubleshooting, and update to a patched version once available to address the hardcoded credential issue.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Check my.f5.com for the fixed release version (no specific version provided in advisory)

  1. Disable the ssh debug feature in the f5-debug-sidecar and f5-debug-sshd containers to mitigate the hardcoded credential exposure
  2. If ssh debug is required, ensure the SPK environment is not accessible to untrusted networks and implement additional network segmentation
  3. Review container logs for any signs of unauthorized access attempts
  4. Consider upgrading to a later version of Big IP Next Service Proxy For Kubernetes once a fixed release is available (check my.f5.com for patched versions)

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

Fix this in Big Ip Next Service Proxy For Kubernetes Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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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-2023-45226 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
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