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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2025-48500

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-08-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.1.10.8 / 16.1.6.1 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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
A missing file integrity check vulnerability exists on MacOS F5 VPN browser client installer that may allow a local, authenticated attacker with access to the local file system to replace it with a malicious package installer.  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

The F5 VPN browser client installer for macOS lacks file integrity verification, allowing a local authenticated attacker with file system access to replace the legitimate installer with a malicious package that will execute during installation.

MitigationImplement cryptographic integrity verification (digital signatures or checksums) for the installer package and validate them before execution.

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, < 15.1.10.8>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.6.1>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, < 17.5.1.3
Big Ip Access Policy Manager ClientApplication
Affected:= 7.2.5

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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 F5 Big-IP APM version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' on the BIG-IP command line, or check the web UI at System > Software > IMAGE LIST. For APM client specifically, check /shared/lib on the BIG-IP device or the client's installed version via 'rpm -q f5-client-vpn' or equivalent.
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: 15.1.0 - 15.1.10.7, 16.1.0 - 16.1.6.0, 17.1.0 - 17.1.2, or 17.5.0 - 17.5.1.2. Also check if F5 APM Client version 7.2.5 is deployed.
  2. Locate the VPN client installer package on macOS
    Search for F5 installer files in common locations: /Library/Application Support/F5, /Users/*/Library/Application Support/F5, or check the original installer DMG/image used for deployment.
    Affected if Installer packages exist in world-writable or loosely secured directories where an authenticated local user could replace files.
  3. Verify installer package integrity mechanisms
    Inspect the installer workflow documentation or check if the deployment process includes verification of digital signatures or checksums before running the installer (e.g., using 'codesign -v' on the .app or verifying checksum via 'shasum -a 256').
    Affected if No cryptographic integrity verification (digital signature validation or checksum comparison) is performed before installer execution.
  4. Check for file integrity monitoring on installer location
    Review if file integrity monitoring (FIM) tools are configured to alert on modifications to the F5 installer directory or if access controls restrict write access to those locations.
    Affected if No FIM is configured for the installer directory and the directory permissions allow modification by non-privileged authenticated users.

You are affected if F5 Big-IP APM or F5 APM Client is deployed at any affected version listed and the installer package lacks cryptographic integrity verification before execution.

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 15.1.10.8 / 16.1.6.1 / 17.1.3 or later
Fixed in 15.1.10.816.1.6.117.1.3
Interim mitigation

Implement cryptographic integrity verification (digital signatures or checksums) for the installer package and validate them before execution.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

15.1.10.8+ / 16.1.6.1+ / 17.1.3+ / 17.5.1.3+ (choose the appropriate release line based on current major version)

  1. 1. Identify the currently deployed Big IP Access Policy Manager (APM) version using the web UI (System > Software Management > BIG-IP Software) or tmsh command: show /sys version
  2. 2. Identify the Big IP Access Policy Manager Client version installed on MacOS systems (check Applications > F5 Client or run: /Library/Application\ Support/F5/clients --version)
  3. 3. For Big IP Access Policy Manager: Upgrade to one of the fixed versions: 15.1.10.8 (or latest 15.1.x), 16.1.6.1 (or latest 16.1.x), 17.1.3 (or latest 17.1.x), or 17.5.1.3 (or latest 17.5.x) - choose the appropriate release line based on your current major version
  4. 4. Download the updated installer from the F5 downloads portal at my.f5.com
  5. 5. Deploy the upgrade during a maintenance window following F5 standard upgrade procedures
  6. 6. After upgrading APM, redeploy the Big IP Access Policy Manager Client to MacOS endpoints - download the updated client package from the newly upgraded APM Access Policy Editor or from my.f5.com
Caveat F5 BIG-IP upgrades may require downtime and compatibility review; verify all dependent modules and configurations work with target version before production deployment

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
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
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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-2025-48500 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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