Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication · F5

CVE-2025-54858

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

NVD · unedited

When a BIG-IP Advanced WAF or BIG-IP ASM Security Policy is configured with a JSON content profile that has a malformed JSON schema, and the security policy is applied to a virtual server, undisclosed requests can cause the bd process to terminate. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A denial of service vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF and ASM allows remote attackers to cause the bd (bigd) process to terminate by sending undisclosed requests to a virtual server that has a security policy with a malformed JSON schema configured in a JSON content profile. This causes the bd process to crash, resulting in service disruption.

MitigationReview all JSON content profiles within BIG-IP Advanced WAF or ASM security policies for malformed JSON schemas and correct the schema definitions. Apply the updated policies and monitor for bd process stability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

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, < 17.5.1.3

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, < 17.5.1.3

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify installed BIG-IP version

Run 'tmsh show /sys version' or check the web UI under System > Software > Image List to determine the installed version number

Affected if The version falls within 15.1.0 to <15.1.10.8, 16.1.0 to <16.1.6.1, 17.1.0 to <17.1.3, or 17.5.0 to <17.5.1.3
Confirm Advanced WAF or ASM module is licensed

Run 'tmsh list /sys license' or check the web UI under System > License to verify the BIG-IP Advanced WAF or Application Security Manager module is licensed and provisioned

Affected if Either Advanced WAF or ASM module is provisioned on the system
Identify virtual servers with security policies

Run 'tmsh list /ltm virtual' and check for the 'security-policy' attribute, or use the web UI under Security > Policy > Security Policies to list policies applied to virtual servers

Affected if Any virtual server has a security policy applied
Examine JSON content profiles in security policies

For each security policy identified, review JSON content profiles via 'tmsh list /asm policy <policy_name> content-profiles' or the web UI under Security > Application Security > Content Profiles > JSON, looking for JSON schemas configured

Affected if Any JSON content profile contains a JSON schema definition
Inspect for malformed JSON schemas

Review the JSON schema definition within each JSON content profile. Validate the schema syntax by examining its structure for errors such as invalid JSON syntax, incorrect schema format, or malformed property definitions. Compare against JSON Schema draft-07 specifications

Affected if Any JSON content profile contains a malformed or invalid JSON schema that could trigger the bd process crash when processed

The system is affected if it runs a vulnerable BIG-IP version with Advanced WAF or ASM licensed, has virtual servers with security policies containing JSON content profiles that have malformed JSON schemas, and receives requests that trigger the malformed schema processing.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

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

Review all JSON content profiles within BIG-IP Advanced WAF or ASM security policies for malformed JSON schemas and correct the schema definitions. Apply the updated policies and monitor for bd process stability.

Recommended fix High confidence

15.1.10.8, 16.1.6.1, 17.1.3, or 17.5.1.3 (depending on your current version branch)

1. Identify the currently installed BIG-IP Advanced WAF or ASM version using 'tmsh show sys version' command or via the management GUI
2. Determine which version branch your current installation falls into (15.1.x, 16.1.x, 17.1.x, or 17.5.x)
3. Download the appropriate fixed version from F5's download portal at https://downloads.f5.com/ or via the F5 customer portal
4. Review F5 upgrade documentation and release notes for your target version to understand any specific requirements
5. Plan a maintenance window - upgrades should be performed during a scheduled maintenance period
6. Back up the current BIG-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config' command or via the GUI
7. Install the upgrade following F5 standard upgrade procedures - either via GUI (System > Software Update > Image List) or via tmsh
8. After upgrade, verify the bd process is running and confirm the new version is installed using 'tmsh show sys version'

Caveat Standard F5 upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for any behavior changes or deprecated features

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Big Ip Advanced Web Application Firewall Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation3.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing3.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

12.0 hours of engineering $2,130

Get the upgrade done

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References

Primary sources

my.f5.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-54858 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2025-54858?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 15.1.10.8 / 16.1.6.1 or later

Severity 7.5 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.3%

Affects: Big Ip Advanced Web Application Firewall

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Big Ip Advanced Web Application Firewall 12 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,130

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2025-54858 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References