Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-28742

RCE in F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System 13.1.0 – 13.1.5

RCECommand Injection
Published
03 May 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.2
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.015 71th percentile
Risk Priority 58 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-28742 is a high-severity OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System. Its CVSS base score is 7.2 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 29% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

When DNS is provisioned, an authenticated remote command execution vulnerability exists in DNS iQuery mesh. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

CWE(s)
CWE-78

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
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 →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-40061Same product: F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System
CVE-2024-21782Same product: F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System
CVE-2026-34176Same product: F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System
CVE-2025-20029Same product: F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System
CVE-2026-42924Same product: F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System
CVE-2025-53868Same product: F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System
CVE-2023-41253Same product: F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System
CVE-2025-23239Same product: F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System
CVE-2022-41800Same product: F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System
CVE-2024-22093Same product: F5 Big-Ip Domain Name System

Affected Assets

f5
big-ip domain name system
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.4 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.8.2

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)
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V15.2.5

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-78

Platform-independent apps typically execute inside a managed runtime or sandbox that restricts direct OS command execution, reducing the ability to exploit OS command injection.

SI-10 Information Input Validation
addresses: CWE-78

Validates inputs to block special elements that would alter OS command execution.

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

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly require secure coding and input handling that blocks command-injection defects, yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors and verification gaps unaddressed.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Routine patching/maintenance can remediate known command-injection CVEs in dependencies (partial forward) but does nothing to stop developers from introducing improper neutralization in custom code (none reverse).

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.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing and code review target insecure use of operating-system command interfaces, catching command-injection flaws introduced during development.

References