Security Resilience

CVE-2023-38419

F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager 13.1.0 – 13.1.5

Published
02 August 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 4.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
EPSS Score 0.0055 45th percentile
Risk Priority 37 floored blend · peak EPSS

CVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.

Summary

CVE-2023-38419 is a medium-severity Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions (CWE-755) vulnerability in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager. Its CVSS base score is 4.3 (Medium).

Operationally, ranked at the 45th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

An authenticated attacker with guest privileges or higher can cause the iControl SOAP process to terminate by sending undisclosed requests.  Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-41085Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-41964Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-27378Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-29163Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-40542Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-42768Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-28406Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-38423Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-38138Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-43485Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager

Affected Assets

f5
big-ip access policy manager
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.9.1
f5
big-ip advanced firewall manager
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.9.1
f5
big-ip advanced web application firewall
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.9.1
f5
big-ip analytics
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.9.1
f5
big-ip application acceleration manager
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.9.1
f5
big-ip application security manager
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.9.1
f5
big-ip application visibility and reporting
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.9.1
f5
big-ip carrier-grade nat
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.9.1
f5
big-ip ddos hybrid defender
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.9.1
f5
big-ip domain name system
13.1.0 — 13.1.5 · 14.1.0 — 14.1.5.5 · 15.1.0 — 15.1.9.1
+10 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

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.

addresses: CWE-755

Provides defined handling (alert and additional actions) for the exceptional condition of audit logging failure.

addresses: CWE-755

Supplies a concrete handling action (safe mode) for exceptional conditions, mitigating risks from improper or absent handling that could allow continued attacks.

addresses: CWE-755

By preparing users for contingency scenarios, the control promotes proper handling of exceptional conditions instead of default or unsafe behaviors.

addresses: CWE-755

An updated contingency plan defines current actions for exceptional conditions, reducing the window for attackers to exploit improper handling leading to system failure.

addresses: CWE-755

Procedures ensure proper handling of exceptional conditions to support effective incident response.

addresses: CWE-755

Incident response testing confirms proper handling of exceptional conditions to limit exploit impact.

addresses: CWE-755

Gives users guidance on incident handling, reducing improper handling of exceptional conditions that could stem from exploited weaknesses.

addresses: CWE-755

Enforces structured response to exceptional conditions so the system cannot remain in an unsafe state.

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.

degrades

Documented operating procedures may specify exception handling but do not guarantee implementation.

A.8.15 Logging partial match
finds

Logging captures unhandled exceptions, aiding detection but not preventing the weakness.

finds

Monitoring can surface unhandled exceptions but does not enforce proper handling.

blocks

Secure SDLC mandates exception-handling requirements and testing that directly prevent improper handling of exceptional conditions.

blocks

A.8.26 explicitly lists resilience against malicious attacks including SQL injections, input validation, error message handling, and several integrity/authorization requirements that address exceptional conditions in a minority of cases, but most CWE-755 instances (e.g. unhandled nulls, resource errors, unexpected states) fall outside its named topics.

blocks

A.8.27 mandates security-by-design principles (fail securely, least privilege, defense-in-depth, distrust external input, assume-breach) plus design reviews that can catch and stop many but not all mishandlings of exceptional conditions before they reach production code; a bounded remainder (e.g. subtle runtime error paths, library-level faults, or post-review regressions) can still be present and exploitable.

Hardening callouts derived

DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.

  • No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-755, a class-level weakness. Rules are authored against its narrower children: CWE-274, CWE-280, CWE-333.

References