Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-20029

RCE in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager 15.1.0 – 15.1.10.6

Published
05 February 2025
Modified
21 October 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v4 8.7
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
EPSS Score 0.071 94th percentile
Risk Priority 70 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-20029 is a high-severity OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager. Its CVSS base score is 8.7 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — 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-2025-20029 is a command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) affecting the iControl REST interface and the BIG-IP TMOS Shell (tmsh) save command on F5 BIG-IP systems. An authenticated user can supply crafted input that results in execution of arbitrary operating system commands. The flaw carries a CVSS 4.0 score of 8.7, reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

An authenticated attacker with access to either iControl REST or tmsh can exploit the issue to run system-level commands on the affected BIG-IP device. Successful exploitation grants the attacker the ability to read, modify, or delete data and potentially disrupt device operation without requiring user interaction.

F5 has published mitigation guidance in knowledge article K000148587, which addresses affected software versions and recommended remediation steps. The current EPSS score of 0.6618 indicates moderate exploitation interest following disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Command injection vulnerability exists in iControl REST and BIG-IP TMOS Shell (tmsh) save command, which may allow an authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary system commands. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

CWE(s)

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.
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
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.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-34176Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-42924Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2025-53868Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2024-21782Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-41953Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2025-31644Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-40698Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2025-54755Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-40699Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-40703Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager

Affected Assets

f5
big-ip access policy manager
15.1.0 — 15.1.10.6 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.5.2 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.2.1
f5
big-ip advanced firewall manager
15.1.0 — 15.1.10.6 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.5.2 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.2.1
f5
big-ip advanced web application firewall
15.1.0 — 15.1.10.6 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.5.2 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.2.1
f5
big-ip analytics
15.1.0 — 15.1.10.6 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.5.2 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.2.1
f5
big-ip application acceleration manager
15.1.0 — 15.1.10.6 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.5.2 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.2.1
f5
big-ip application security manager
15.1.0 — 15.1.10.6 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.5.2 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.2.1
f5
big-ip application visibility and reporting
15.1.0 — 15.1.10.6 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.5.2 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.2.1
f5
big-ip automation toolchain
15.1.0 — 15.1.10.6 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.5.2 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.2.1
f5
big-ip carrier-grade nat
15.1.0 — 15.1.10.6 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.5.2 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.2.1
f5
big-ip container ingress services
15.1.0 — 15.1.10.6 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.5.2 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.2.1
+11 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)
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V15.2.5

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and evaluation can discover missing or incorrect command sanitization during development.

Input validation directly neutralizes or rejects special characters that would otherwise alter OS command structure.

Least privilege reduces the permissions available to any process that could be subverted by injected commands.

Least functionality restricts available OS commands and interpreters, limiting the blast radius of injection.

Secure engineering principles require proper neutralization of untrusted input before command construction.

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.

finds

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

References