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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2026-41225

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 17.5.1 or later.
See remediation →
97/100
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 iControl REST 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 · moderate confidence

A command injection vulnerability in F5 iControl REST API allows authenticated users with Manager role or higher to create malicious configuration objects that result in arbitrary command execution on the underlying system.

MitigationRestrict iControl REST API access to only necessary administrative hosts, apply F5 vendor patches when available, and implement least-privilege by reviewing Manager-role assignments. Consider network segmentation to limit exposure.

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
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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 under System > Software > Image List to determine the installed version.
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these ranges: 17.1.0-17.1.3, 17.5.0-17.5.1, 16.1.0-16.1.6, or equals 21.0.0
  2. Verify iControl REST API is accessible
    Confirm the iControl REST endpoint (typically https://<management-ip>/mgmt/) is exposed and responding. Check network access lists or firewall rules allowing access to port 443 on the management interface.
    Affected if iControl REST API is reachable from untrusted networks or from non-administrative jump hosts
  3. Review user accounts with Manager or higher privileges
    Use the BIG-IP configuration utility or tmsh command 'tmsh list auth user' to list all users. Identify accounts assigned to roles with Manager-level or elevated permissions.
    Affected if Multiple user accounts exist with Manager, Administrator, or Resource Administrator roles, especially those not explicitly documented or expected
  4. Inspect iControl REST configuration objects for anomalies
    Query the iControl REST API endpoint '/mgmt/shared/authz/users' to enumerate user roles and permissions. Review recent configuration changes via '/mgmt/shared/identified-threats-config/active-list' for unexpected entries.
    Affected if Unexpected configuration objects exist, particularly new user accounts, custom roles, or external monitoring profiles created after the vulnerability disclosure date
  5. Check for suspicious system command executions
    Review system logs under /var/log/audit for entries containing 'bash', 'shell', or command execution patterns initiated by iControl REST (look for 'icr_child' process activity). Examine /var/log/maudit for privileged command history.
    Affected if Audit logs show command execution initiated through iControl REST API by users without explicit justification

Your environment is affected if the installed BIG-IP version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the iControl REST API is accessible to authenticated users with Manager role or higher privileges.

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 iControl REST API access to only necessary administrative hosts, apply F5 vendor patches when available, and implement least-privilege by reviewing Manager-role assignments. Consider network segmentation to limit exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to BIG-IP 17.1.4+, 17.5.2+, 16.1.7+, or 21.0.1+ (whichever corresponds to your current branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current BIG-IP version by running `tmsh show sys version` or checking the web UI (System > Software > Image/Volume)
  2. 2. Download the appropriate fixed version from F5 Downloads (my.f5.com): For 17.1.x branch, upgrade to 17.1.4 or later; For 17.5.x branch, upgrade to 17.5.2 or later; For 16.1.x branch, upgrade to 16.1.7 or later; For 21.0.0, upgrade to 21.0.1 or later
  3. 3. Upload the ISO image to the BIG-IP system via the web UI (System > Software > Image) or via TMSH: `tmsh install sys software image <image-name>.iso volume <volume-name>`
  4. 4. Create a new boot volume (if needed) and install the image: `tmsh install sys software image <image-name> volume <new-volume>`
  5. 5. Reboot the BIG-IP device to boot from the new volume: `tmsh reboot volume <new-volume>`
  6. 6. After reboot, verify the upgrade was successful by checking `tmsh show sys version`
  7. 7. Verify the iControl REST vulnerability is resolved by confirming the system runs a patched version
Caveat Review F5 release notes for your target version for any configuration or behavior 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
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,600
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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-2026-41225 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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