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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2025-20045

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.1.5 / 17.1.2 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
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
When SIP session Application Level Gateway mode (ALG) profile with Passthru Mode enabled and SIP router ALG profile are configured on a Message Routing type virtual server, undisclosed traffic can cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate.  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 F5 BIG-IP vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to cause a denial of service by forcing the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate. The condition occurs specifically when a SIP session ALG profile with Passthru Mode is enabled AND a SIP router ALG profile is configured on a Message Routing type virtual server. The combination of these specific configuration settings causes TMM to crash when processing certain SIP traffic.

MitigationDisable SIP ALG Passthru Mode or remove SIP ALG profiles from Message Routing virtual servers if not required, and apply vendor-supplied patches when available. Review all Message Routing virtual servers for SIP ALG configuration.

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>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2
Big Ip Application Visibility And ReportingApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2
Big Ip Automation ToolchainApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, <= 15.1.10>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.5>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.2

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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' on the command line or view the version in the BIG-IP GUI under Dashboard. Identify the base version number (e.g., 15.1.x, 16.1.x, 17.1.x).
    Affected if The installed version is 15.1.0-15.1.10, 16.1.0-16.1.4, or 17.1.0-17.1.1 (versions before 15.1.11, 16.1.5, or 17.1.2 respectively).
  2. Identify SIP session ALG profiles
    Use tmsh to list ALG profiles: run 'tmsh list ltm sip profile' to see all SIP profiles configured on the system.
    Affected if Any SIP session ALG profile exists on the system.
  3. Check if Passthru Mode is enabled
    For each SIP profile found, run 'tmsh list ltm sip profile <profile_name>' and examine the settings. Look for a 'passthru' or 'passthru mode' setting.
    Affected if A SIP session ALG profile has Passthru Mode enabled (set to 'yes', 'enabled', or similar).
  4. Identify Message Routing virtual servers
    Run 'tmsh list ltm virtual' and check the 'type' field for each virtual server. Look for virtual servers with type set to 'message-routing' or similar.
    Affected if Any virtual server is configured with a Message Routing type.
  5. Check Message Routing virtual servers for SIP ALG configuration
    For each Message Routing virtual server, examine its associated profiles by running 'tmsh list ltm virtual <virtual_name>' and checking the 'alg-profile' or 'sip' settings.
    Affected if A Message Routing virtual server has a SIP router ALG profile assigned to it.

You are affected if your BIG-IP version falls within 15.1.0-15.1.10, 16.1.0-16.1.4, or 17.1.0-17.1.1 AND you have a SIP session ALG profile with Passthru Mode enabled AND a SIP router ALG profile is assigned to a Message Routing type virtual server.

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 16.1.5 / 17.1.2 or later
Fixed in 16.1.517.1.2
Interim mitigation

Disable SIP ALG Passthru Mode or remove SIP ALG profiles from Message Routing virtual servers if not required, and apply vendor-supplied patches when available. Review all Message Routing virtual servers for SIP ALG configuration.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 15.1.11+ (15.1.x line), 16.1.5+ (16.1.x line), or 17.1.2+ (17.1.x line) depending on your current major version branch

  1. 1. Identify the current Big IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the web UI (Device > Overview).
  2. 2. Determine which version line (15.1.x, 16.1.x, or 17.1.x) your system is running.
  3. 3. For 15.1.0-15.1.10: Plan upgrade to version 15.1.11 or later.
  4. 4. For 16.1.0-16.1.4: Plan upgrade to version 16.1.5 or later.
  5. 5. For 17.1.0-17.1.1: Plan upgrade to version 17.1.2 or later.
  6. 6. Review F5 release notes and hotfix matrix for the target version to understand changes and prerequisites.
  7. 7. Create a full system backup/configuration backup before upgrading.
  8. 8. Schedule maintenance window as upgrade may require TMM restart.
Caveat Review F5 release notes for any configuration or behavior changes between versions 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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,150
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,440.

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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-2025-20045 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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