dbcve.org
Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2026-32643

HIGH · 8.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 17.5.1 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
A vulnerability exists in BIG-IP and BIG-IQ systems where a highly privileged, authenticated attacker with at least the Certificate Manager role can modify configuration objects that allow running arbitrary 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

A privilege escalation vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ allows authenticated attackers with at least the Certificate Manager role to modify configuration objects that permit execution of arbitrary system commands. This effectively allows a high-privileged user to gain full system control through configuration manipulation.

MitigationRestrict the Certificate Manager role to only the minimum required trusted administrators, conduct a full audit of user role assignments, implement least-privilege access controls, and enable detailed audit logging for configuration changes.

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:>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.6= 21.0.0
Big Ip Advanced Firewall ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.6= 21.0.0
Big Ip Advanced Web Application FirewallApplication
Affected:>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.6= 21.0.0
Big Ip AnalyticsApplication
Affected:>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.6= 21.0.0
Big Ip Application Acceleration ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.6= 21.0.0
Big Ip Application Security ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.6= 21.0.0
Big Ip Application Visibility And ReportingApplication
Affected:>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.6= 21.0.0
Big Ip Automation ToolchainApplication
Affected:>= 17.1.0, <= 17.1.3>= 17.5.0, <= 17.5.1>= 16.1.0, <= 16.1.6= 21.0.0

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 product version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or check the BIG-IP web UI under System > Software Management > Image List to determine the exact version installed
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected ranges: 17.1.0-17.1.3, 17.5.0-17.5.1, 16.1.0-16.1.6, or exactly 21.0.0
  2. Identify which BIG-IP modules are provisioned
    Run 'tmsh list sys provision' to list all provisioned modules on the system
    Affected if Any of the following modules are provisioned: Access Policy Manager, Advanced Firewall Manager, Advanced Web Application Firewall, Analytics, Application Acceleration Manager, Application Security Manager, Application Visibility And Reporting, or Automation Toolchain
  3. Check for users with Certificate Manager role
    Run 'tmsh list auth user' and review the 'role' field for each user, or check via the web UI under User Management > User Lists
    Affected if Any user account is assigned the Certificate Manager role or a role that includes certificate management privileges
  4. Review role-based access control configuration
    Run 'tmsh list auth role' to enumerate all defined roles and their permissions, or check the BIG-IQ Centralized Management console for role definitions
    Affected if Roles with elevated privileges exist that could be combined with Certificate Manager access to modify command execution settings
  5. Audit configuration objects for command execution settings
    Search configuration for objects that may allow system command execution, such as iRules with 'exec' or 'run' commands, or external monitor definitions. Use 'tmsh list' commands to review relevant configuration branches.
    Affected if Configuration objects exist that could be modified by a Certificate Manager role user to enable arbitrary command execution

The environment is affected if the installed BIG-IP version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND at least one user has the Certificate Manager role, as this combination allows privilege escalation through configuration manipulation.

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 a release after 17.5.1
Interim mitigation

Restrict the Certificate Manager role to only the minimum required trusted administrators, conduct a full audit of user role assignments, implement least-privilege access controls, and enable detailed audit logging for configuration changes.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

F5 has not publicly disclosed the specific fixed versions as of this advisory; upgrade to the most recent stable version per release branch (16.1.x latest, 17.1.x latest, 17.5.x latest, or 21.x latest) after consulting my.f5.com for CVE-2026-32643

  1. 1. Identify all BIG-IP and BIG-IQ systems running affected versions (16.1.0-16.1.6, 17.1.0-17.1.3, 17.5.0-17.5.1, 21.0.0)
  2. 2. Review the F5 security advisory at my.f5.com for the specific fixed version corresponding to each affected release line
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed version from F5 Downloads (my.f5.com)
  4. 4. Schedule a maintenance window following standard change management procedures
  5. 5. Back up current BIG-IP configuration using 'tmsh save sys config' or via GUI
  6. 6. Upload and install the hotfix or upgrade to the fixed version via GUI (System > Software Management > Image List > Install) or via tmsh
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade completed successfully and services are operational
  8. 8. Confirm the Certificate Manager role permissions are correctly enforced post-upgrade
Caveat Review F5 release notes for each target version for any configuration or behavioral changes; test in non-production environment before deploying to production

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
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-32643 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-32643 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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