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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2025-20029

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.1.10.6 / 16.1.5.2 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Command injection vulnerability exists in iControl REST and BIG-IP TMOS Shell (tmsh) save command, which may allow an authenticated attacker 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

Command injection vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP's iControl REST API and tmsh save command allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary system commands due to insufficient input sanitization in the save functionality.

MitigationApply F5 security patches for this vulnerability; restrict iControl REST API access to trusted administrative IP addresses and enforce strong authentication for tmsh access.

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:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.10.6>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5.2>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2.1
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.10.6>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5.2>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2.1
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.10.6>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5.2>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2.1
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.10.6>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5.2>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2.1
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.10.6>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5.2>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2.1
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.10.6>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5.2>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2.1
Big Ip Application Visibility And ReportingApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.10.6>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5.2>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2.1
Big Ip Automation ToolchainApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.10.6>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5.2>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2.1

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Identify installed BIG-IP version
    Run command: tmsh show sys version or check /etc/default/version file, or use REST API: GET /mgmt/tm/sys/version
    Affected if Version falls within affected ranges: 15.1.0 to 15.1.10.5, 16.1.0 to 16.1.5.1, or 17.1.0 to 17.1.2.0
  2. Verify iControl REST API is exposed
    Check if port 443 (or custom management port) is open externally. Run: netstat -an | grep -E '443|8443' LISTEN or review management interface bindings in /etc/httpd/conf.d/ssl.conf
    Affected if iControl REST API is accessible from untrusted networks (not restricted to trusted admin IPs)
  3. Confirm administrative user access exists
    Review local user accounts via tmsh list auth user or REST API: GET /mgmt/tm/auth/user to enumerate admin-level accounts
    Affected if Any administrative or user account exists in the system (required for authenticated attack vector)
  4. Check tmsh command access
    Verify tmsh is accessible via SSH or management interface. Confirm by attempting: tmsh -v or checking SSH configuration for /bin/tmsh access
    Affected if tmsh access is permitted (the vulnerability affects the save command in tmsh)
  5. Inspect recent save command logs
    Review /var/log/ltm or /var/log/restd for entries containing 'save' with unusual parameters. Run: grep -i 'save' /var/log/ltm* | tail -100
    Affected if Logs show save commands with unexpected characters or patterns suggesting injection attempts

Environment is affected if BIG-IP version is within 15.1.0-15.1.10.5, 16.1.0-16.1.5.1, or 17.1.0-17.1.2.0 AND iControl REST API or tmsh is accessible to authenticated users.

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 15.1.10.6 / 16.1.5.2 / 17.1.2.1 or later
Fixed in 15.1.10.616.1.5.217.1.2.1
Interim mitigation

Apply F5 security patches for this vulnerability; restrict iControl REST API access to trusted administrative IP addresses and enforce strong authentication for tmsh access.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 15.1.10.6+ for 15.1.x, 16.1.5.2+ for 16.1.x, or 17.1.2.1+ for 17.1.x

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the web UI version information.
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on current version: for 15.1.x upgrade to 15.1.10.6 or later; for 16.1.x upgrade to 16.1.5.2 or later; for 17.1.x upgrade to 17.1.2.1 or later.
  3. 3. Create a complete configuration backup using 'tmsh save sys config' and verify backup integrity before proceeding.
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades require system downtime.
  5. 5. Download the appropriate hotfix or cumulative security update from the F5 Downloads site (my.f5.com) - select the version identified in step 2.
  6. 6. Upload the ISO/image to the BIG-IP system via web UI (System > Software Management > Image List) or via tmsh.
  7. 7. Install the update using the BIG-IP web UI (Software Management > Volume Management) or via tmsh 'install sys software volume <volume_name> <image_name>'
  8. 8. Boot to the new volume and validate system functionality.
Caveat Point releases within same major version (e.g., 15.1.x to 15.1.10.6) typically have minimal breaking changes; however, always 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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

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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-2025-20029 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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