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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2025-53868

HIGH · 8.7 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 →
93/100
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
When running in Appliance mode, a highly privileged authenticated attacker with access to SCP and SFTP may be able to bypass Appliance mode restrictions using undisclosed 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 · moderate confidence

This is an Appliance mode bypass vulnerability affecting SCP and SFTP access paths. A highly privileged authenticated attacker with SCP/SFTP access can use undisclosed commands to circumvent Appliance mode restrictions that are designed to limit functionality and access. The vulnerability requires the attacker to already have high-level credentials and network access to the SCP/SFTP service.

MitigationContact the vendor for the applicable patch or security update that addresses this bypass. If no patch is available, review and restrict SCP/SFTP access to only trusted, necessary administrative users and monitor for unusual command patterns.

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

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 version
    Run command 'tmsh show /sys version' or 'show /sys version' to retrieve the software version
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 15.1.0 to 15.1.10.7, 16.1.0 to 16.1.6.0, 17.1.0 to 17.1.2, or 17.5.0 to 17.5.1
  2. Confirm Appliance mode is enabled
    Check the system configuration by running 'tmsh list /sys db system.mgmtappliance' or checking system properties in the BIG-IP UI under System > Configuration > Device for Appliance mode status
    Affected if The system is running in Appliance mode, which restricts user actions and is the prerequisite condition for this vulnerability
  3. Verify SCP and SFTP access configuration
    List user accounts with SCP/SFTP access using 'tmsh list /auth user' and check for enabled transport methods, or review the user role assignments in the Access Policy Manager
    Affected if Highly privileged users (such as admin or root) have SCP or SFTP access enabled on the system
  4. Check for unauthorized command execution
    Review system logs in /var/log/audit for unusual or undisclosed commands executed via SCP/SFTP, and compare against expected command patterns
    Affected if Logs show execution of commands not documented in the standard Appliance mode command set

The environment is affected if the F5 Big IP version is within the vulnerable ranges AND the system is running in Appliance mode AND highly privileged users have SCP/SFTP access enabled.

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

Contact the vendor for the applicable patch or security update that addresses this bypass. If no patch is available, review and restrict SCP/SFTP access to only trusted, necessary administrative users and monitor for unusual command patterns.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 15.1.10.8 (for 15.1.x), 16.1.6.1 (for 16.1.x), 17.1.3 (for 17.1.x), or latest 17.5.x release above 17.5.1

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed BIG-IP version and module (e.g., APM, AFM, ASM, Analytics, AAM, AVR, Automation Toolchain) using 'tmsh show sys version'
  2. 2. Determine your current major version branch (15.1.x, 16.1.x, 17.1.x, or 17.5.x)
  3. 3. Download the appropriate hotfix ISO from the F5 Downloads portal (my.f5.com) matching your branch: 15.1.10.8, 16.1.6.1, 17.1.3, or the latest 17.5.x release above 17.5.1
  4. 4. Upload the hotfix to the BIG-IP system via GUI (System > Software Management > Image List) or via SCP/SFTP
  5. 5. Verify the hotfix integrity using the checksum provided on the download page
  6. 6. Create a volume for the new hotfix installation: 'tmsh install sys software volume name <volume_name> volume compact hotfix <hotfix_file>'
  7. 7. Boot from the new volume: 'tmsh boot system volume <volume_name>'
  8. 8. After reboot, verify the fix is applied by checking 'tmsh show sys version' and confirming the build number matches the patched release
Caveat F5 hotfixes typically require downtime for reboot; test in staging environment first; verify compatibility with other deployed F5 modules and integrations

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
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.

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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-2025-53868 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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