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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2025-53856

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-10-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.1.10.8 / 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 a virtual server, network address translation (NAT) object, or secure network address translation (SNAT) object uses the embedded Packet Velocity Acceleration (ePVA) feature, undisclosed traffic can cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate.  To determine which BIG-IP platforms have an ePVA chip refer to K12837: Overview of the ePVA feature https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K12837 .  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

A denial-of-service vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP systems where undisclosed network traffic targeting virtual servers, NAT objects, or SNAT objects that have the embedded Packet Velocity Acceleration (ePVA) feature enabled can cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate, resulting in service disruption.

MitigationApply the F5 software update/patch for this CVE. Until patched, identify and assess ePVA-enabled objects and consider disabling ePVA on non-critical virtual servers as a temporary mitigation, or implement rate-limiting/filtering on perimeter devices.

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
Big Ip Advanced Firewall 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
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
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
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
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
Big Ip Application Acceleration 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
Big Ip Application Security 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
Big Ip Application Visibility And ReportingApplication
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
Big Ip Automation ToolchainApplication
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

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 `show sys version` in TMSH or check System > Software Management in the GUI. Compare the displayed version against the affected ranges: 15.1.0 to 15.1.10.7, 16.1.0 to 16.1.6.0, 17.1.0 to 17.1.2, and 17.5.0 to 17.5.1.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges.
  2. Identify ePVA-enabled virtual servers
    Run `list ltm virtual all-properties` in TMSH and search for entries containing 'epva' or 'packet-velocity acceleration'. Alternatively, in the GUI, navigate to Local Traffic > Virtual Server and inspect each virtual server's profile settings for ePVA configuration.
    Affected if Any virtual server has the embedded Packet Velocity Acceleration (ePVA) feature enabled.
  3. Identify ePVA-enabled NAT objects
    Run `list ltm nat all-properties` in TMSH and search for ePVA-related settings. In the GUI, check Local Traffic > NAT for each NAT object's configuration.
    Affected if Any NAT object has ePVA enabled.
  4. Identify ePVA-enabled SNAT objects
    Run `list ltm snat all-properties` in TMSH and search for ePVA-related settings. In the GUI, check Local Traffic > SNAT for each SNAT object's configuration.
    Affected if Any SNAT object has ePVA enabled.

You are affected if your BIG-IP version is within the specified ranges AND any virtual server, NAT, or SNAT object has ePVA enabled, as the vulnerability requires ePVA to be active for the denial-of-service condition to trigger.

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

Apply the F5 software update/patch for this CVE. Until patched, identify and assess ePVA-enabled objects and consider disabling ePVA on non-critical virtual servers as a temporary mitigation, or implement rate-limiting/filtering on perimeter devices.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 15.1.10.8+ (15.1.x), 16.1.6.1+ (16.1.x), 17.1.3+ (17.1.x), or 17.5.2+ (17.5.x) depending on your current major version branch

  1. Identify the currently installed BIG-IP version using 'tmsh show sys version' or the web UI.
  2. Determine which BIG-IP modules (APM, AFM, AWAF, Analytics, AAM, ASM, AVR, Automation Toolchain) are in use and their versions.
  3. Identify any virtual servers, NAT objects, or SNAT objects that utilize the ePVA feature using 'tmsh list ltm virtual' and checking for 'epva' references.
  4. Plan an upgrade to a fixed version: 15.1.10.8 or higher, 16.1.6.1 or higher, 17.1.3 or higher, or 17.5.2 or higher.
  5. Review F5 upgrade documentation and release notes for the target version before upgrading.
  6. Schedule a maintenance window as upgrades may cause brief service interruptions.
  7. Back up the BIG-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config' before proceeding.
  8. Perform the upgrade following F5's recommended upgrade procedure for the specific module and version.
Caveat Review F5 release notes for the target version for any configuration or behavior changes; some upgrades may require careful planning in HA environments

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,420
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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

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Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-53856 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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