Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:L/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:XSummary
CVE-2025-20045 is a high-severity NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476) 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 Endpoint Denial of Service (T1499); ranked at the 33th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); 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 SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — 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-2025-20045 is a denial-of-service vulnerability affecting the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) in F5 BIG-IP systems. It occurs when a SIP session Application Level Gateway (ALG) profile with Passthru Mode enabled, combined with a SIP router ALG profile, is configured on a Message Routing type virtual server. In this scenario, undisclosed traffic triggers a NULL pointer dereference (CWE-476), causing the TMM to terminate. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H). Software versions that have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) were not evaluated.
Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability over the network without authentication or user interaction. By sending the undisclosed traffic to the affected virtual server under the specified SIP ALG configurations, an attacker can cause the TMM to crash, resulting in a denial of service that disrupts traffic processing and potentially requires manual restart or failover.
The F5 security advisory provides details on mitigation and affected versions at https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000138932.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-2144
Vulnerability Data
When SIP session Application Level Gateway mode (ALG) profile with Passthru Mode enabled and SIP router ALG profile are configured on a Message Routing type virtual server, undisclosed traffic can cause the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM) to terminate. Note: Software…
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versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation (including static analysis) directly finds null-dereference bugs before deployment.
Documented development standards and tools can enforce null-safety rules and safe pointer usage.
Engineering principles can mandate defensive coding such as explicit null checks before dereference.
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.
Secure SDLC practices (static analysis, code review, safe coding standards) directly prevent NULL dereference bugs during development.
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.
Security testing can detect NULL dereference defects before release.
Secure SDLC mandates defensive coding practices that can prevent NULL dereferences.
Application security requirements can specify input validation and pointer-safety rules.
Secure architecture principles encourage defensive design that avoids unsafe pointer use.
Secure coding standards directly require NULL-pointer checks and safe dereference patterns.