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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2025-53474

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.1.1.0.8 / 16.1.6.1 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 an iRule using an ILX::call command is configured on a 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 · moderate confidence

This is a F5 BIG-IP vulnerability where an iRule configured with the ILX::call command on a virtual server can be triggered by undisclosed traffic patterns, causing the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate. This results in denial of service for affected virtual servers.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, identify and review virtual servers using iRules with ILX::call commands to assess exposure and potential temporary mitigations such as removing or modifying the affected iRule 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, < 15.1.1.0.8>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.6.1>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1.0.8>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.6.1>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1.0.8>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.6.1>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1.0.8>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.6.1>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1.0.8>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.6.1>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1.0.8>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.6.1>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1
Big Ip Application Visibility And ReportingApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1.0.8>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.6.1>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1
Big Ip Automation ToolchainApplication
Affected:>= 15.1.0, < 15.1.1.0.8>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.6.1>= 17.1.0, < 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1

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
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' or 'tmsh -q -c "show /sys version-detail"' from the command line
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 15.1.0 to 15.1.1.0.7, 16.1.0 to 16.1.6.0, 17.1.0 to 17.1.2, or 17.5.0 to 17.5.1
  2. Identify iRules containing ILX::call
    Run 'tmsh -q -c "list /ltm rule all-properties" | grep -B5 "ILX::call"' to find iRules that contain the ILX::call command
    Affected if Any iRule on the system contains the ILX::call command
  3. List virtual servers using iRules
    Run 'tmsh list /ltm virtual all-properties' and examine the 'rules' field for each virtual server to see which ones reference iRules
    Affected if Any virtual server has an iRule assigned that contains ILX::call (from step 2)
  4. Confirm ILX::call presence in assigned iRules
    For each virtual server with assigned iRules, inspect the iRule content with 'tmsh list /ltm rule <rule_name>' and verify the presence of ILX::call
    Affected if The virtual server is using an iRule that contains ILX::call

You are affected if your BIG-IP version is within the vulnerable ranges AND you have virtual servers with iRules that contain the ILX::call command.

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 15.1.1.0.8 / 16.1.6.1 / 17.1.3 or later
Fixed in 15.1.1.0.816.1.6.117.1.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, identify and review virtual servers using iRules with ILX::call commands to assess exposure and potential temporary mitigations such as removing or modifying the affected iRule configuration.

Recommended fix High confidence

15.1.1.0.8+ (15.1.x) | 16.1.6.1+ (16.1.x) | 17.1.3+ (17.1.x) | 17.5.2+ (17.5.x)

  1. 1. Identify the current Big-IP version by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the web UI at System > Software > IMAGE LIST
  2. 2. Determine which version branch you are running (15.1.x, 16.1.x, 17.1.x, or 17.5.x)
  3. 3. Download the appropriate hotfix from F5 Downloads (downloads.f5.com): For 15.1.x branches, obtain version 15.1.1.0.8 or later; For 16.1.x branches, obtain version 16.1.6.1 or later; For 17.1.x branches, obtain version 17.1.3 or later; For 17.5.x branches, obtain version 17.5.2 or later
  4. 4. Upload the hotfix ISO/image to the Big-IP system via the web UI (Software > Software Management > Image List > Upload) or via TMSH (tmsh install sys software volume)
  5. 5. Install the hotfix on a backup volume first: tmsh install sys software volume <volume_name> name <hotfix_name>
  6. 6. Boot to the backup volume to test: tmsh activate sys volume <volume_name>
  7. 7. Verify the system operates normally after activation and confirm the fix version is running: tmsh show sys version
  8. 8. If testing is successful, schedule a maintenance window to activate the new volume on the active partition for production traffic
Caveat Standard F5 hotfixes are backward compatible; however, always test in a non-production environment first as with any system upgrade

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 / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2025-53474 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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