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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2026-39459

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 17.5.1 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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 iControl REST and the TMOS Shell (tmsh) where a highly privileged, authenticated attacker with at least the Manager role can create 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 · high confidence

F5 BIG-IP iControl REST and tmsh contain a privilege escalation vulnerability where an authenticated attacker with Manager role can create configuration objects that enable arbitrary command execution. This allows a Manager-level user to execute commands beyond their intended authorization level, effectively achieving administrative or root-level access through specially crafted configuration objects.

MitigationRestrict Manager role assignments to trusted personnel only, monitor iControl REST and tmsh for anomalous configuration object creation, review existing admin accounts for necessity, and apply available F5 patches.

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Identify installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show /sys version' or check the BIG-IP web UI dashboard to find the base system version
    Affected if The installed version is 17.1.0-17.1.3, 17.5.0-17.5.1, 16.1.0-16.1.6, or 21.0.0
  2. Confirm Manager role accounts exist
    Use 'tmsh list /auth user' to list all users and their assigned roles, or review users in the BIG-IP web UI under User Management
    Affected if Any user account is assigned the Manager role, which provides the privileges needed to exploit this vulnerability
  3. Verify iControl REST access for Manager users
    Check that Manager-role users have access to iControl REST API endpoints (typically port 443) by reviewing user role permissions in 'tmsh list /auth user' output
    Affected if Manager-role users can access iControl REST or tmsh interfaces, enabling them to create the vulnerable configuration objects
  4. Audit recent configuration object creation
    Review iControl REST and tmsh logs for creation of configuration objects that may contain embedded commands or scripts, or use 'tmsh list' commands to examine recently created objects in /sys and /ltm directories
    Affected if Unusual or recently created configuration objects exist that were not authored by Administrator-level users, indicating potential exploitation attempt

Your environment is affected if the installed BIG-IP version falls within the affected ranges AND Manager-role accounts exist with access to iControl REST or tmsh interfaces.

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 Manager role assignments to trusted personnel only, monitor iControl REST and tmsh for anomalous configuration object creation, review existing admin accounts for necessity, and apply available F5 patches.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a version beyond 17.1.3, 17.5.1, 16.1.6, or 21.0.0 (specific fixed release available on my.f5.com)

  1. 1. Identify the exact Big IP version currently installed by running: tmsh show sys version
  2. 2. Determine which Big IP module(s) (APM, AFM, AWM, etc.) are in use on the affected system
  3. 3. Access the F5 downloads page at my.f5.com (requires F5 account) to obtain the fixed release for your specific version branch
  4. 4. Download the appropriate hotfix or maintenance update that addresses CVE-2026-39459
  5. 5. Review the F5 release notes to confirm the fix is included for your version
  6. 6. Plan maintenance window as upgrade may require service interruption
  7. 7. Backup current configuration using: tmsh save sys config
  8. 8. Perform the upgrade following F5 upgrade documentation for your platform
Caveat Upgrade may require service interruption; review F5 release notes for compatibility and migration requirements

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
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2026-39459 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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