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 management interface remotely
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ExploitCraft configuration object with command injection payload
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ExecutionSystem processes malicious config with elevated privileges
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PersistExecute arbitrary commands as root
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ImpactEstablish persistent administrative access
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Command injection prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires existing Resource Administrator role credentials, which is a highly privileged BIG-IP administrative account level (PR:H). Resource Administrator is not a default low-privilege user-it's the second-highest privilege tier in BIG-IP, below only full Administrator role, with extensive permissions to manage configuration objects including virtual servers, pools, and policies. Exploitation requires network access to the BIG-IP management interface (AV:N), though no additional complexity barriers exist once authenticated (AC:L). No user interaction required (UI:N). The vulnerability exists in the configuration management subsystem accessible to Resource Administrators, meaning it affects systems where this role is actively used for delegated administration rather than using only the full Administrator role. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is moderate-high despite the 8.7 CVSS score. The PR:H (high privileges required) significantly limits the attack surface-exploitation requires existing Resource Administrator credentials, which are highly privileged internal accounts. The AV:N/AC:L vector means remote exploitation is straightforward once authenticated, and S:C indicates the attacker can break out of their authorized role boundaries. EPSS data unavailable, but absence from CISA KEV suggests this is not seeing widespread active exploitation. The primary risk scenario is insider threat or compromised administrator accounts rather than external mass exploitation. Organizations with strict separation of duties between Resource Administrators and full administrators face higher risk. SSVC framework assessment: Exploitation status unknown, technical impact is total (S:C with administrative access), but automatable exploitation is unlikely due to authentication requirements. Priority depends heavily on your Resource Administrator account security posture. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has compromised Resource Administrator credentials (through phishing, credential theft, or insider access) authenticates remotely to the BIG-IP management interface. They craft malicious configuration objects containing command injection payloads in object parameters. When the system processes these configuration changes, the injected commands execute with full administrative privileges, allowing the attacker to create new administrative accounts, modify security policies, or access sensitive traffic management data beyond their authorized Resource Administrator scope. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – May 13, 2026
Privilege escalation in F5 BIG-IP allows authenticated Resource Administrator users to elevate privileges through configuration object manipulation. The command injection flaw (CWE-77) enables attackers with existing high-privilege access to gain administrative control over the BIG-IP system. CVSS score of 8.7 reflects high impact due to scope change (compromising beyond the vulnerable component), though exploitation requires existing Resource Administrator credentials (PR:H). EPSS data not provided; no CISA KEV listing indicates targeted rather than widespread exploitation.
RemediationAI
Apply vendor-released patches per F5 Security Advisory K000160975 available at https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000160975, which specifies exact patched versions for each affected BIG-IP major release branch. Upgrade to the minimum fixed version for your deployment branch. Compensating controls if immediate patching is not feasible include restricting Resource Administrator role assignment to only essential personnel, implementing additional multi-factor authentication for administrative interfaces, enabling comprehensive audit logging for configuration changes by Resource Administrators, and monitoring for unexpected privilege usage patterns through BIG-IP's audit logs. Network-level mitigation includes restricting management interface access to trusted jump hosts or bastion servers rather than broad network access. Note that limiting Resource Administrator access reduces operational flexibility and may require workflow adjustments for teams managing virtual server configurations.
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 is an application delivery controller providing load balancing, security, and traffic management. The vulnerability stems from a command injection weakness (CWE-77) in the configuration management interface accessible to Resource Administrator role users. Resource Administrators typically manage virtual servers, pools, and policy objects but should not have full administrative privileges. The flaw allows injection of malicious commands through configuration object parameters, which are then executed with elevated privileges. The CVSS Scope Change metric (S:C) indicates the vulnerability allows attackers to impact resources beyond the authorization scope of the vulnerable component itself, escalating from resource-level access to broader system control.
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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
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.
Executive ViewAI
F5 BIG-IP contains a privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2026-41953, CVSS 8.7) that allows authenticated Resource Administrators to gain full administrative control through configuration manipulation. This directly threatens the integrity and availability of critical network infrastructure that BIG-IP typically controls, affecting all systems dependent on BIG-IP for load balancing, traffic management, and security services.
Apply vendor patch. Interim mitigations pending patch deployment: (1) restrict Resource Administrator role membership to minimum necessary accounts; (2) implement multi-factor authentication for all administrative access; (3) enable comprehensive audit logging of configuration changes; (4) monitor for suspicious configuration object modifications and administrative privilege changes.
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
OS command injection occurs when an application passes unsanitized user input directly into system shell commands.
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
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-2026-29988
GHSA-qqpg-xxjc-9jh9
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB