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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 21 Nov 2023. Known ransomware use
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2023-46747

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 17.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit 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
Undisclosed requests may bypass configuration utility authentication, allowing an attacker with network access to the BIG-IP system through the management port and/or self IP addresses to execute arbitrary system commands.  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

F5 BIG-IP configuration utility contains an authentication bypass vulnerability where undisclosed requests can bypass authentication, allowing remote attackers with network access to the management port or self IP addresses to execute arbitrary system commands with elevated privileges.

MitigationApply F5 BIG-IP security patch immediately. Until patched, restrict access to management port and self IP addresses using network ACLs or firewall rules to limit exposure to trusted networks only.

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>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.4>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.1
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.4>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.1
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.4>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.1
Big Ip Carrier Grade NatApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.4>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.1
Big Ip Ddos Hybrid DefenderApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.4>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.1
Big Ip Ssl OrchestratorApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.4>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.1
Big Ip Domain Name SystemApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.4>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.1
Big Ip Local Traffic ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 13.1.0, <= 13.1.5>= 14.1.0, <= 14.1.5>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.4>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.1

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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 BIG-IP version
    Run `tmsh show /sys version` or `bigtop -v` on the command line, or log into the BIG-IP GUI and navigate to System > About to view the installed software version
    Affected if The installed version falls within 13.1.0-13.1.5, 14.1.0-14.1.5, 15.1.0-15.1.10, 16.1.0-16.1.4, or 17.1.0-17.1.1
  2. Confirm the affected module is provisioned
    Run `tmsh list /sys provision` to see which BIG-IP modules are provisioned. The vulnerability affects systems with APM, AFM, AWAF, CGNAT, DDoS Hybrid Defender, SSL Orchestrator, DNS, or LTM modules provisioned
    Affected if Any of the listed modules (APM, AFM, AWAF, CGNAT, DDoS Hybrid Defender, SSL Orchestrator, DNS, LTM) are provisioned on the system
  3. Verify management interface exposure
    Review network accessibility of the management port (443/tcp or 8443/tcp) by checking firewall rules or running `tmsh list /sys management-ip` to see which IP addresses the management interface binds to
    Affected if The management interface is bound to IP addresses accessible from untrusted networks, or self IP addresses are reachable from external sources
  4. Check for suspicious authentication logs
    Review logs in /var/log/audit for failed authentication attempts or unexpected successful authentications, particularly from unusual source IPs or at unusual times
    Affected if Authentication events appear that cannot be explained by legitimate administrator activity

The environment is affected if the BIG-IP version falls within any of the listed vulnerable ranges AND the management interface is network-accessible to 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 a release after 17.1.1
Interim mitigation

Apply F5 BIG-IP security patch immediately. Until patched, restrict access to management port and self IP addresses using network ACLs or firewall rules to limit exposure to trusted networks only.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIG-IP 16.1.5 (or later 16.1.x), 15.1.11 (or later 15.1.x), 14.1.6 (or later 14.1.x), or 17.1.0 (or later) depending on your upgrade path and support requirements

  1. 1. Identify the specific BIG-IP module(s) and version(s) currently deployed in your environment using 'tmsh show sys version' or the web configuration utility.
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on your current version branch (13.1.x, 14.1.x, 15.1.x, or 16.1.x).
  3. 3. Review F5 BIG-IP release notes and upgrade guide for the target version to understand prerequisites and upgrade procedures.
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades require system downtime.
  5. 5. Back up the BIG-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config' or via the web UI before proceeding.
  6. 6. Download the patched BIG-IP version from the F5 Downloads portal (my.f5.com) or F5 Direct (downloads.f5.com).
  7. 7. Perform the upgrade following F5 upgrade instructions - either via ISO image upload or using the F5 Upgrade Studio.
  8. 8. After upgrade, verify the system is operational and the vulnerability is addressed by checking the version with 'tmsh show sys version'.
Caveat Review F5 release notes for the target version for any deprecation notices or configuration changes that may affect your deployment - some features may behave differently in newer major versions

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

Fix this in Big Ip Access Policy Manager Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,440
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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-2023-46747 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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