Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-22422

Memory Safety in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager 16.1.0 – 16.1.3.3

Memory Safety
Published
01 February 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0063 47th percentile
Risk Priority 59 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-22422 is a high-severity Classic Buffer Overflow (CWE-120) vulnerability in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 47th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

On BIG-IP versions 17.0.x before 17.0.0.2 and 16.1.x before 16.1.3.3, when a HTTP profile with the non-default Enforcement options of Enforce HTTP Compliance and Unknown Methods: Reject are configured on a virtual server, undisclosed requests can cause the Traffic Management…

more

Microkernel (TMM) to terminate. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

CWE(s)
CWE-120

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
attack.mitre.org →
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2021-22992Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2025-36557Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2025-53474Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-22374Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-22842Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2021-22991Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2025-41431Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-40067Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2025-23412Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2025-36525Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager

Affected Assets

f5
big-ip access policy manager
16.1.0 — 16.1.3.3 · 17.0.0 — 17.0.0.2
f5
big-ip advanced firewall manager
16.1.0 — 16.1.3.3 · 17.0.0 — 17.0.0.2
f5
big-ip analytics
16.1.0 — 16.1.3.3 · 17.0.0 — 17.0.0.2
f5
big-ip application acceleration manager
16.1.0 — 16.1.3.3 · 17.0.0 — 17.0.0.2
f5
big-ip application security manager
16.1.0 — 16.1.3.3 · 17.0.0 — 17.0.0.2
f5
big-ip ddos hybrid defender
16.1.0 — 16.1.3.3 · 17.0.0 — 17.0.0.2
f5
big-ip domain name system
16.1.0 — 16.1.3.3 · 17.0.0 — 17.0.0.2
f5
big-ip fraud protection service
16.1.0 — 16.1.3.3 · 17.0.0 — 17.0.0.2
f5
big-ip link controller
16.1.0 — 16.1.3.3 · 17.0.0 — 17.0.0.2
f5
big-ip local traffic manager
16.1.0 — 16.1.3.3 · 17.0.0 — 17.0.0.2
+2 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.2.1

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

SC-27 Platform-independent Applications
addresses: CWE-120

Platform-independent managed code eliminates the need for unchecked native buffer copies that are the root cause of classic buffer overflows.

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 development practices directly enforce bounds checking and input validation that prevent classic buffer overflows.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes such as code review or scanning detect classic buffer overflows before exploitation.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing unchecked buffer copies with corrected versions.

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.

A.8.28 Secure coding mostly match
prevents

Secure coding directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect buffer overflows through fuzzing and static analysis, though it does not prevent them at the source.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates processes that can include input validation and bounds checking to prevent buffer overflows.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can specify input-size validation and safe buffer handling to mitigate classic buffer overflows.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles promote defensive coding patterns that reduce the likelihood of unchecked buffer copies.

References