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Full vulnerability report · 2022
CVE-2022-1388High confidence

F5 BIG-IP Missing Authentication Vulnerability

F5 · BIG-IP

9.8CriticalCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Patch now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2022-05-31 as the remediation due date.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityCriticalOperational priority:Critical, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • CISA confirms exploitation in the wild.
  • A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
  • The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
  • EPSS is 99.95% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs F5 BIG-IP and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 3 daysRemediation target: Within 90 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2022-24705

CISA KEV mirrored by ENISA

On F5 BIG-IP 16.1.x versions prior to 16.1.2.2, 15.1.x versions prior to 15.1.5.1, 14.1.x versions prior to 14.1.4.6, 13.1.x versions prior to 13.1.5, and all 12.1.x and 11.6.x versions, undisclosed requests may bypass iControl REST authentication. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Recorded by ENISA since 10 May 2022. Evidence sources: cisa_kev.
ENISA score
9.8 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionPatch now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2022-05-31 as the remediation due date.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

F5 BIG-IP contains a missing authentication in critical function vulnerability which can allow for remote code execution, creation or deletion of files, or disabling services.

What

F5 BIG-IP contains a missing authentication in critical function vulnerability which can allow for remote code execution, creation or deletion of files, or disabling services.

Why

A security-sensitive function is reachable without the authentication check that should protect it.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

What

F5 BIG-IP contains a missing authentication in critical function vulnerability which can allow for remote code execution, creation or deletion of files, or disabling services.

Why

A security-sensitive function is reachable without the authentication check that should protect it.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Confirmed in the wild

CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2022-05-10. Known ransomware campaign use is recorded.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Reference recorded

A structured CVE source labels at least one public reference as exploit material. BlackTree has not independently validated that it is safe, reliable or weaponised.

Likely attack path
a network path → Missing Authentication for Critical Function → execute code or commands in the affected security context
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-306 ↗

CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function. The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.
NetworkUnauthenticatedRemote code executionCWE-306CISA KEVPublic exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2022-24705Known-exploited evidence recorded

On F5 BIG-IP 16.1.x versions prior to 16.1.2.2, 15.1.x versions prior to 15.1.5.1, 14.1.x versions prior to 14.1.4.6, 13.1.x versions prior to 13.1.5, and all 12.1.x and 11.6.x versions, undisclosed requests may bypass iControl REST authentication. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated

Official EUVD record ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20220511Security Bulletin 11 May 2022

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 11 May 2022, published on 11 May 2022. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2022-AVI-419Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits F5

. Risques Atteinte à l'intégrité des données Atteinte à la confidentialité des données Contournement de la politique de sécurité Déni de service à distance Exécution de code arbitraire à distance Injection de code indirecte à distance (XSS) Injection de requêtes illégitimes par rebond (CSRF) Systèmes affectés F5 BIG-IP (tous modules) versions 17.x antérieures à 17.0.0 F5 BIG-IP (tous modules) versions 16.x antérieures à 16.1.2.2 F5 BIG-IP (tous modules) versions 15.x antérieures à 15.1.5.1 F5 BIG-IP (tous modules) versions antérieures à 14.1.4.6 NGINX App Protect versions antérieures à 3.7.0 Concernant la vulnérabilité critique, immatriculée CVE-2022-1388, l'éditeur propose un correctif de sécurité pour les produits F5 BIG-IP en versions 13.x. Cependant il est très fortement recommandé pour toutes les versions 11.x, 12.x et 13.x de migrer au moins vers la version 14.1.4.6 afin de pouvoir bénéficier de l'intégralité des correctifs de sécurité. Résumé De multiples vulnérabilités ont été découvertes dans les produits F5. Certaines d'entre elles permettent à un attaquant de provoquer une exécution de code arbitraire à distance, un déni de service à distance et un contournement de la politique de sécurité. Solution Se référer au bulletin de sécurité de l'éditeur pour l'obtention des correctifs (cf

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2022-010066F5 BIG-IP における重要な機能に対する認証の欠如に関する脆弱性

F5 BIG-IP には、重要な機能に対する認証の欠如に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-5873최근 해킹 공격에 활용되는 취약점 보안 업데이트 권고

인해 발생하는 정보노출 취약점(CVE-2021-42013)[2] ㅇ Apache HTTP Server에서 경로 탐색(Path Traversal)으로 인해 발생하는 정보노출 취약점(CVE-2021-41773)[3] ㅇ Apache OFBiz에서 발생하는 크로스 사이트 스크립팅(XSS) 취약점(CVE-2020-9496)[4] ㅇ Apache OFBiz에서 발생하는 역직렬화 취약점(CVE-2021-26295)[5] ㅇ Apache Struts에서 발생하는 원격코드 실행 취약점(CVE-2020-17530)[6] ㅇ Apache Struts에서 사용자 입력값 검증 미흡으로 발생하는 원격 코드 실행 취약점(CVE-2021-31805)[7] ㅇ Apache Tomcat이 AJP request 메시지를 처리할 때, 메시지에 대한 처리가 미흡하여 발생하는 원격코드실행 취약점(CVE-2020-1938)[8] ㅇ Apache Log4j에서 발생하는 원격코드 실행 취약점(CVE-2021-44228)[9] ㅇ Atlassian Confluence Server 및 Data Center에서 OGNL 인젝션으로 인해 발생하는 원격코드실행 취약점(CVE-2021-26084)[10] ㅇ BIG-IP에서 iControl REST 인증 미흡으로 인해 발생하는 불충분한 인가 취약점(CVE-2022-1388)[11] ㅇ BIG-IP, BIG-IQ의 iControl REST 인터페이스에서 발생하는 원격 코드 실행 취약점(CVE-2021-22986)[12] ㅇ Grafana 소프트웨어에서 경로탐색(Directory Traversal)으로 인해 발생하는 정보노출 취약점(CVE-2021-43798)[13] ㅇ Inspur ClusterEngine V4.0에서 발생하는 원격 코드 실행 취약점(CVE-2020-21224)[14] ㅇ Oracle WebLogic Server에서 발생하는 원격 코드 실행 취약점(CVE-2021-2109)[15] ㅇ SMBv3 프로토콜이 조작된 패킷을 처리할 때 버퍼오버플로우로 인해 발생하는 원격코드실행 취약점(CVE-2020-0796)[16] ㅇ Spring Cloud Gateway에서 발생하는 원격코드 실행 취약점(CVE-2022-22947)[17] ㅇ Spring Core에서 발생하는 원격코드실행 취약점(CVE-2022-22965)[18] ㅇ Spring Cloud Function에서 발생하는 원격코드실행 취약점(CVE-2022-22963)[18] ㅇ VMware vCenter Server 원격 코드 실행 취약점(CVE-2021-21972)[19] ㅇ VMware vCenter Server 에서 발생하는 파일 업로드 취약점(

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-5595F5 BIG-IP 제품 보안 업데이트 권고

o F5社는 BIG-IP 제품에서 발생하는 취약점을 해결한 보안 업데이트 발표 [1] o 공격자는 해당 취약점을 악용하여 피해를 발생시킬 수 있으므로, 최신버전으로 업데이트 권고 ##### □ 주요내용 o BIG-IP에서 iControl REST 인증 미흡으로 인해 발생하는 불충분한 인가 취약점(CVE-2022-1388) [2]

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
BIG-IP: 14.1.x < 14.1.4.6, 13.1.x < 13.1.5, 12.1.x ≤ 12.1.6, 15.1.x < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.x < 16.1.2.2, 11.6.x ≤ 11.6.5
Fixed
BIG-IP: 17.0.0 < 17.0.x*
Action
Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
Workaround
A mitigation or workaround reference is available from the source linked below; validate it against the affected product and version.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 5 May 2022 · Last source change 21 Oct 2025, 23:15 UTC · CWE-306 · Missing Authentication for Critical Function

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2022-24705
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    16.1.x < 16.1.2.2; 15.1.x < 15.1.5.1; 14.1.x < 14.1.4.6; 13.1.x < 13.1.5; 12.1.x ≤ 12.1.6; 11.6.x ≤ 11.6.5 · Fixed: 17.0.0 < 17.0.x*
    After
    BIG-IP: 16.1.x < 16.1.2.2, 15.1.x < 15.1.5.1, 14.1.x < 14.1.4.6, 13.1.x < 13.1.5, 12.1.x ≤ 12.1.6, 11.6.x ≤ 11.6.5 · Fixed: BIG-IP: 17.0.0 < 17.0.x*
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Added to CISA KEV
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2022-24705↗CISA KEV record↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Mitigation reference↗Public exploit reference↗Public exploit reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2022-1388 · cve.blacktree.nl