Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessCompromise admin credentials
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DeliveryAuthenticate to iControl SOAP API
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ExploitCreate malicious SNMP config object
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ExecutionInject OS commands in parameters
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PersistExecute arbitrary code as root
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ImpactInstall persistence mechanisms
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization OS command sanitization, avoid shell exec
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques 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 | Exploitation requires authenticated access with Resource Administrator or Administrator role privileges on F5 BIG-IP systems. The iControl SOAP API must be enabled and network-accessible to the attacker. This is a default configuration on many BIG-IP deployments as SOAP remains enabled for backward compatibility with legacy management tools. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely (AV:N) over the management network without requiring user interaction (UI:N). Attack complexity is Low (AC:L), indicating no special timing, race conditions, or environmental dependencies beyond the authentication requirement. Limiting factors: high privilege requirement means attackers must first compromise administrator credentials through separate attack vectors such as credential theft, social engineering, or prior system compromise. Organizations that have migrated entirely to iControl REST API and explicitly disabled SOAP endpoints are not exposed. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is MODERATE despite the 8.7 CVSS score. The attack requires high-privilege credentials (PR:H) - Resource Administrator or Administrator roles - which already grant extensive system access, limiting the practical security boundary crossed. The Changed Scope (S:C) elevates severity because attackers escape role-based access controls to achieve root-level OS command execution beyond intended administrative permissions. Attack complexity is Low (AC:L) with no user interaction required, making exploitation straightforward for credential holders. No EPSS score, KEV status, or public exploit code information provided in available data - absence of KEV listing suggests no confirmed active exploitation campaigns detected. The requirement for high-privilege authentication substantially reduces the population of potential attackers compared to unauthenticated or low-privilege flaws. Primary risk scenario: compromised administrator accounts (via phishing, credential stuffing, or insider threat) being leveraged for full system compromise. Organizations with strict role separation between Resource Administrators and full system administrators face greater risk as this vulnerability undermines that security model. The legacy nature of iControl SOAP means modern deployments using only iControl REST may have reduced or no exposure depending on whether SOAP endpoints remain enabled. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has compromised Resource Administrator credentials through phishing or password reuse authenticates to the BIG-IP management interface. They craft a malicious SNMP configuration object via the iControl SOAP API, embedding shell command injection payloads in configuration parameters such as SNMP community strings or trap destinations. When BIG-IP processes this configuration, the injected commands execute with root privileges on the underlying operating system, allowing the attacker to install backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive configuration data including SSL private keys and authentication databases, or pivot to other systems in the management network. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – May 13, 2026
Privilege escalation in F5 BIG-IP allows authenticated Resource Administrators or Administrators to execute arbitrary OS commands by creating malicious SNMP configuration objects via the legacy iControl SOAP API. Attackers with high-level administrative credentials can break out of their role constraints to gain full system control. F5 has released patches addressing this command injection flaw (CWE-78). No active exploitation confirmed at time of analysis, but the CVSS:3.1 Changed Scope indicator and attack complexity of Low make this exploitable by any administrator with SOAP API access.
RemediationAI
Apply vendor-released patches specified in F5 Security Advisory K000160926 available at https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000160926. The advisory details exact fixed versions for each affected BIG-IP release branch. For systems that cannot be immediately patched, implement these compensating controls: Disable iControl SOAP API entirely if only iControl REST is required for management automation (verify dependent tools and scripts first, as this breaks backward compatibility). Restrict network access to the management interface to trusted jump hosts or administrator workstations using IP allowlisting at firewall or BIG-IP self-IP level. Implement additional authentication layers such as multi-factor authentication for administrative access. Audit and minimize the number of accounts assigned Resource Administrator and Administrator roles. Enable comprehensive command auditing and monitor for SNMP configuration changes via iControl SOAP, particularly focusing on configuration objects containing shell metacharacters. Note that disabling SOAP will impact legacy management scripts and integrations that have not migrated to REST API.
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
The vulnerability affects F5 BIG-IP's iControl SOAP API, a legacy management interface for programmatic configuration of BIG-IP systems. The flaw is a command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) where insufficient input validation on SNMP configuration parameters allows shell metacharacters or command separators to be passed to underlying OS system calls. The CVSS Changed Scope (S:C) indicates the vulnerability allows escape from the security context of the iControl SOAP service to compromise the underlying operating system. iControl SOAP has largely been superseded by iControl REST in modern BIG-IP versions, but remains enabled for backward compatibility in many deployments. The CPE identifier cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* indicates broad applicability across BIG-IP product families, though F5's advisory should be consulted for exact version ranges as End of Technical Support (EoTS) versions were excluded from evaluation.
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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 create SNMP 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
CVE-2026-42924 is a high-severity privilege escalation in F5 BIG-IP that allows authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary OS commands through malicious SNMP configuration objects, enabling role constraint bypass and full system compromise. Any administrator with iControl SOAP API access can exploit this flaw, creating significant insider threat and lateral movement risk across load balancing infrastructure. Immediate patching is critical to prevent privilege escalation attacks that could compromise network ingress and application availability.
Apply vendor patch. Interim mitigations pending patch deployment: restrict iControl SOAP API access to administrative users requiring it; implement network segmentation isolating BIG-IP SOAP endpoints; enable detailed logging and alerting on SNMP object creation and modification; reduce the number of accounts with Resource Administrator or Administrator roles.
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-2026-30005
GHSA-j4g2-pcp5-j4pp
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB