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Big Ip Access Policy ManagerApplication · F5

CVE-2026-41953

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 systems where a highly privileged, authenticated attacker with at least the Resource Administrator role can modify configuration objects 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 · moderate confidence

This BIG-IP vulnerability allows a highly privileged authenticated attacker with Resource Administrator role to modify configuration objects and escalate privileges within the system. The attack leverages configuration manipulation to gain elevated access beyond the attacker's current permissions.

MitigationRestrict Resource Administrator role permissions to only necessary operations, implement least-privilege access controls, and apply available vendor patches. Review and audit all configuration changes made by privileged accounts.

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 the installed BIG-IP version
    Run 'tmsh show sys version' or check the BIG-IP GUI under Dashboard > System > Software Version
    Affected if The installed version falls within 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. Confirm the affected module is deployed
    Run 'tmsh list sys module' to list installed modules, or check System > Resource > Module Assignment in the GUI
    Affected if Any of these modules are installed and enabled: APM, AFM, AWM, Analytics, AAM, ASM, AVR, or Automation Toolchain on an affected version
  3. Identify Resource Administrator role accounts
    Run 'tmsh list auth user' and review the 'role' field, or check Access > Authentication > Users in the GUI
    Affected if Any user account is assigned the Resource Administrator role
  4. Audit recent configuration changes
    Run 'tmsh show sys config-sync' or review the configuration audit log at /var/log/audit for modifications to '/Common' or '/Partition' configuration objects
    Affected if Configuration changes were made by Resource Administrator users that grant elevated permissions beyond their assigned role
  5. Check for unauthorized privilege escalation
    Review user role assignments using 'tmsh list auth user' and compare against expected baseline permissions, look for unexpected changes to admin or administrator roles
    Affected if Users have been granted higher privileges (such as Administrator) that were not assigned through normal administration channels

Your system is affected if it runs an affected BIG-IP version (17.1.0-17.1.3, 17.5.0-17.5.1, 16.1.0-16.1.6, or 21.0.0) with any affected module enabled and has accounts with Resource Administrator role present.

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 Resource Administrator role permissions to only necessary operations, implement least-privilege access controls, and apply available vendor patches. Review and audit all configuration changes made by privileged accounts.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to BIG-IP 17.1.4 (or later 17.1.x), 17.5.2 (or later 17.5.x), 16.1.7 (or later 16.1.x), or 21.0.1 (or later 21.x) based on your release line

  1. 1. Identify the exact BIG-IP version currently installed by running 'tmsh show sys version' or checking the web UI login page.
  2. 2. Determine which affected product module (APM, AFM, ASM, etc.) is deployed in your environment.
  3. 3. Review the F5 KB article at my.f5.com for the specific fixed version corresponding to your major release line (17.x, 16.x, or 21.x).
  4. 4. Download the fixed version from F5 Downloads at https://downloads.f5.com/ or obtain via your F5 account.
  5. 5. Plan maintenance window as upgrade requires system reboot; back up current configuration using 'tmsh save sys config' or via web UI.
  6. 6. Perform upgrade following F5 upgrade guide: upload ISO via web UI or tmsh, verify integrity, install, and reboot.
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the fix by checking 'tmsh show sys version' shows the patched version.
  8. 8. Confirm the Resource Administrator role permissions align with least-privilege principles.
Caveat Upgrading BIG-IP may require thorough regression testing of existing policies, iRule scripts, and APM/ASM configurations; always test in staging 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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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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-2026-41953 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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