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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2026-40698

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 Resource Administrator role can create SNMP configuration objects through iControl REST or the TMOS shell (tmsh) resulting in privilege escalation.  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

This vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ allows attackers with Resource Administrator privileges to create SNMP configuration objects via iControl REST or tmsh, enabling privilege escalation. The attacker exploits the SNMP configuration functionality to elevate their privileges beyond the Resource Administrator role.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched BIG-IP/BIG-IQ version (contact F5 for specific fixed versions) and review administrative role assignments to limit Resource Administrator access to only necessary personnel.

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 BIG-IP or BIG-IQ version
    Run 'tmsh show /sys version' or query the iControl REST endpoint '/mgmt/tm/sys/version' to retrieve the system version.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these 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. Verify SNMP configuration access exists
    Run 'tmsh list /sys snmp' to check if SNMP configuration objects exist or can be created on the system.
    Affected if SNMP configuration is present or the user has permissions to view/create SNMP objects via tmsh.
  3. Review Resource Administrator role assignments
    Run 'tmsh list /auth user' to list all users and their assigned roles. Identify any accounts assigned the Resource Administrator role.
    Affected if One or more users possess the Resource Administrator role, which is the baseline privilege required to exploit this vulnerability.
  4. Check audit logs for SNMP object creation
    Review system logs or audit logs (typically via '/var/log/audit' or tmsh query '/sys log audit') for entries containing 'snmp' and 'create' or 'modify' actions performed via iControl REST.
    Affected if Recent audit entries show SNMP configuration objects were created via iControl REST or tmsh by a Resource Administrator.

You are affected if your BIG-IP/BIG-IQ version is within the affected ranges AND at least one user has Resource Administrator role AND SNMP configuration can be accessed or was recently modified.

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

Upgrade to a patched BIG-IP/BIG-IQ version (contact F5 for specific fixed versions) and review administrative role assignments to limit Resource Administrator access to only necessary personnel.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to the latest stable version in each respective branch: 16.1.7+, 17.1.4+, 17.5.2+, or the next available stable release beyond 21.0.0

  1. 1. Identify the exact BIG-IP/BIG-IQ version currently installed using the command: tmsh show sys version
  2. 2. Determine which version branch you are running (16.1.x, 17.1.x, 17.5.x, or 21.0.x)
  3. 3. For version 16.1.x: Upgrade to version 16.1.7 or later
  4. 4. For version 17.1.x: Upgrade to version 17.1.4 or later
  5. 5. For version 17.5.x: Upgrade to version 17.5.2 or later
  6. 6. For version 21.0.x: Upgrade to a version beyond 21.0.0 that includes the security fix
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the system is functioning correctly and review SNMP configurations for any unauthorized changes
  8. 8. Ensure the attacker no longer has access - consider resetting credentials for affected administrative accounts
Caveat Review F5 release notes for each target version as minor version upgrades may introduce configuration or behavioral changes; test in non-production environment first

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2026-40698 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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