Cyber Resilience

CVE-2022-41800

RCE in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager 13.1.0 – 13.1.5

Published
07 December 2022
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.7
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.62 99.1th percentile
Risk Priority 80 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2022-41800 is a high-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager. Its CVSS base score is 8.7 (High).

Operationally, ranked in the top 0.9% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-4 (Information Flow Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2022-41800 affects all versions of F5 BIG-IP when operating in Appliance mode. An authenticated user holding the Administrator role can exploit an undisclosed iControl REST endpoint to bypass Appliance mode restrictions, enabling the attacker to cross a defined security boundary. The flaw is tracked under CWE-77 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.7.

An attacker must already possess valid Administrator credentials on an affected BIG-IP system running in Appliance mode. Successful exploitation permits the administrator to perform actions that Appliance mode is intended to prevent, resulting in a loss of confidentiality and integrity while availability remains unaffected.

F5 has published mitigation guidance in knowledge-base article K13325942, which addresses the issue for supported software versions; releases that have reached End of Technical Support are not evaluated.

The associated EPSS score currently stands at 0.9268 with a recorded peak of 0.9395.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In all versions of BIG-IP, when running in Appliance mode, an authenticated user assigned the Administrator role may be able to bypass Appliance mode restrictions, utilizing an undisclosed iControl REST endpoint. A successful exploit can allow the attacker to cross…

more

a security boundary. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI

Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.

T1548 Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism Privilege Escalationconfidence: HIGH
Bypassing Appliance mode restrictions allows abuse of elevation control mechanisms to perform actions outside intended security boundaries.
T1078.003 Local Accounts Stealthconfidence: MEDIUM
Exploitation requires and leverages a valid local Administrator account to cross security boundaries.
inferred from description + CWE · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-23239Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2024-22093Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2025-31644Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-41953Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2022-1388Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-40698Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2025-41431Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2022-41622Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2024-21782Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2024-23979Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager

Affected Assets

f5
big-ip access policy manager
17.0.0 · 13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.8
f5
big-ip advanced firewall manager
13.1.0 — 17.0.0
f5
big-ip analytics
17.0.0 · 13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.8
f5
big-ip application acceleration manager
17.0.0 · 13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.8
f5
big-ip application security manager
17.0.0 · 13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.8
f5
big-ip domain name system
17.0.0 · 13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.8
f5
big-ip fraud protection service
17.0.0 · 13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.8
f5
big-ip global traffic manager
17.0.0 · 13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.8
f5
big-ip link controller
17.0.0 · 13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.8
f5
big-ip local traffic manager
17.0.0 · 13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.8
+1 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • AC-3 Access Enforcement
  • AC-4 Information Flow Enforcement
  • SC-7 Boundary Protection
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.3
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V1.2.9

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly enforces Appliance mode access restrictions that the undisclosed iControl REST endpoint bypass allows an Administrator to violate.

prevent

Enforces information flow controls that prevent crossing the security boundary the vulnerability is explicitly designed to bypass.

prevent

Implements boundary protection mechanisms whose failure permits the Appliance mode escape described in the CVE.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and neutralization that prevent command injection.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of software and data can detect anomalous command execution resulting from injection.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Identifying recorded vulnerabilities enables remediation of command-injection flaws before exploitation.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Secure coding standards require proper escaping and parameterization of commands, directly eliminating CWE-77.

detects

Security testing in development catches command-injection vulnerabilities before release.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and command construction practices that directly prevent command injection.

prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection flaws including command injection.

prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce the attack surface but do not prescribe the specific neutralization techniques needed.

none

Environment separation limits the blast radius of an exploited command injection but does not prevent the flaw itself.

References