Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain Resource Administrator credentials
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DeliveryAuthenticate to BIG-IP management interface
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ExploitCraft malicious iControl SOAP requests
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ExecutionModify restricted configuration objects
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PersistEscalate to Administrator privileges
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ImpactAccess confidential configuration data
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling File access restriction
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 1 tactic: Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires valid Resource Administrator or Administrator role credentials for F5 BIG-IP management interface. Exploitation specifically targets systems where iControl SOAP API is enabled and accessible to Resource Administrator accounts. Network access to BIG-IP management interface (typically TCP port 443 for HTTPS management or dedicated management network) is required - the remote attack vector (AV:N) allows exploitation from any network location once authenticated. No user interaction needed (UI:N) and low attack complexity (AC:L) once credentials are obtained. Limiting factor: the attacker must first possess or obtain high-privilege Resource Administrator credentials, which typically requires prior account compromise, insider access, or credential theft. Organizations not delegating Resource Administrator role or those restricting management interface access to isolated administrative networks face lower practical risk despite the vulnerability's presence. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is moderate despite the 8.7 CVSS score. The CVSS vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C) indicates network-exploitable with low complexity, but critically requires high privileges (PR:H) - the attacker must already possess valid Resource Administrator credentials. Changed scope (S:C) reflects privilege boundary violation. No CISA KEV listing indicates no confirmed widespread exploitation. No public exploit code identified at time of analysis. The attack is not automatable against internet-facing systems due to the authentication prerequisite. Primary risk scenarios include malicious insiders with Resource Administrator access, or attackers who have already compromised Resource Administrator accounts through credential theft or social engineering. Organizations with strict separation of duties between Resource Administrators and full Administrators face elevated risk, as this vulnerability undermines that security control. The network attack vector means exploitation can occur remotely once credentials are obtained, not requiring console access. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has compromised Resource Administrator credentials (through phishing, credential stuffing, or insider threat) authenticates to the BIG-IP management interface remotely. They craft malicious iControl SOAP requests targeting configuration objects that should be restricted to full Administrators, such as user account management or global system settings. By exploiting the insufficient permission validation, they modify these objects to create a new Administrator account or elevate their existing Resource Administrator account to full Administrator privileges, gaining unrestricted access to all BIG-IP configuration, virtual server policies, SSL certificates, and sensitive traffic management rules across the entire device scope. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – May 13, 2026
Privilege escalation in F5 BIG-IP allows authenticated Resource Administrators to gain full Administrator privileges by exploiting insecure iControl SOAP API configuration handling. Attackers with high-privilege Resource Administrator access can modify configuration objects to escalate to Administrator level, achieving cross-scope access to confidential data and integrity compromise. EPSS risk assessment unavailable, but exploitation requires legitimate Resource Administrator credentials and network access to management interface, limiting attack surface to insider threats or compromised administrative accounts.
RemediationAI
Apply vendor-released patches detailed in F5 Security Advisory K000160979 available at https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000160979. F5 typically provides hotfix releases for currently supported BIG-IP versions addressing the insecure iControl SOAP permission validation. Organizations should prioritize patching systems where Resource Administrator role is actively delegated to multiple users or third-party integrations. If immediate patching is infeasible, implement compensating controls: restrict iControl SOAP API access to only full Administrator accounts by modifying authentication profiles, disable iControl SOAP entirely if only iControl REST is required (check automation dependencies first - legacy integrations may break), enforce IP-based access restrictions to management interfaces allowing only trusted jump hosts, enable audit logging for all iControl SOAP configuration changes to detect privilege escalation attempts, and conduct access review to verify Resource Administrator role assignments follow least-privilege principles. Note that disabling iControl SOAP will impact any automation tools using the legacy XML API rather than the REST interface.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
F5 BIG-IP's iControl SOAP API provides programmatic access to device configuration management. The vulnerability stems from CWE-552 (Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties), where the API fails to properly restrict Resource Administrator role permissions when modifying certain configuration objects through SOAP requests. The iControl interface is F5's legacy XML-based management API (predating the newer iControl REST), commonly used for automation and integration with orchestration tools. The insecure permission model allows role boundary violations, where lower-privileged administrative roles can manipulate configuration data that should be restricted to full Administrators, effectively bypassing F5's role-based access control (RBAC) implementation.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Primary rating from Vendor (f5) · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorVendor: f5
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
An authenticated attacker with the Resource Administrator or Administrator role can modify configuration objects through iControl SOAP resulting in privilege escalation. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.
Executive ViewAI
F5 BIG-IP contains a privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2026-40631, CVSS 8.7) in the iControl SOAP API that allows authenticated Resource Administrators to escalate to full Administrator privileges, potentially compromising confidential data and system integrity across managed infrastructure. Organizations relying on BIG-IP for load balancing and application delivery require immediate remediation to prevent insider threats and lateral movement from compromised administrative accounts.
Apply vendor patch. Interim mitigations if patching delayed: (1) Restrict iControl SOAP API network access via firewall rules to authorized management networks only; (2) Implement API authentication logging and alerting for privilege modification attempts; (3) Enforce multi-factor authentication for all Resource Administrator accounts; (4) Conduct immediate review and deprovisioning of inactive Resource Administrator accounts; (5) Monitor configuration change logs for suspicious modification patterns.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
Remote code execution affects F5 BIG-IP systems that terminate traffic on a virtual server configured with both an APM (
Remote code execution in F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ Configuration utility allows authenticated attackers with low privileges t
Memory-exhaustion denial of service in F5 BIG-IP affects any virtual server configured with an HTTP/2 profile, where a r
Resource exhaustion in BIG-IP Configuration utility allows remote unauthenticated attackers to trigger file descriptor e
Remote unauthenticated attackers can crash F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IP Next Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) processes via
Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) crash in F5 BIG-IP versions 16.1.0 through 21.0.0.1 allows unauthenticated remote a
Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) denial-of-service in F5 BIG-IP DNS affects systems with DNS cache-enabled profiles
F5 BIG-IP Advanced WAF and Application Security Manager (ASM) suffer from a denial-of-service vulnerability when process
Remote memory exhaustion in F5 BIG-IP virtual servers crashes Traffic Management Microkernel when HTTP/2 Layer 7 DoS Pro
Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) crashes in F5 BIG-IP Virtual Edition and hardware platforms when SSL profiles are c
Remote denial-of-service in F5 BIG-IP allows unauthenticated attackers to crash the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM)
Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) in F5 BIG-IP terminates when processing specific traffic against UDP virtual server
EUVD-2026-29978
GHSA-v83q-vrmw-32xv
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB