Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-41959

F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager 17.1.0 – 17.1.3

Published
13 May 2026
Modified
24 June 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v4 7.1
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:N/VA:N/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 0.0020 10th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-41959 is a high-severity Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource (CWE-732) vulnerability in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Remote System Discovery (T1018); ranked at the 10th 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 AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Incorrect permission assignment vulnerabilities exist in BIG-IP and BIG-IQ TMOS Shell (tmsh) network diagnostics commands and in BIG-IP iControl REST. These vulnerabilities may allow an authenticated attacker to view the network status of destination systems. Note: Software versions which have…

more

reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1018 Remote System Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of other systems by IP address, hostname, or other logical identifier on a network that may be used for Lateral Movement from the current system.
T1046 Network Service Discovery Discovery
Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of services running on remote hosts and local network infrastructure devices, including those that may be vulnerable to remote software exploitation.
Why these techniques?

Incorrect permissions on tmsh network diagnostics and iControl REST allow authenticated users to query remote system/network status, directly enabling remote system and network service discovery.

Confidence: MEDIUM · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-42937Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-42058Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-41217Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-40462Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2023-22326Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-41219Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-40698Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-41957Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-42406Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager
CVE-2026-32643Same product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager

Affected Assets

f5
big-ip access policy manager
21.0.0 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.3 · 17.5.0 — 17.5.1 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.6
f5
big-ip advanced firewall manager
21.0.0 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.3 · 17.5.0 — 17.5.1 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.6
f5
big-ip advanced web application firewall
21.0.0 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.3 · 17.5.0 — 17.5.1 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.6
f5
big-ip analytics
21.0.0 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.3 · 17.5.0 — 17.5.1 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.6
f5
big-ip application acceleration manager
21.0.0 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.3 · 17.5.0 — 17.5.1 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.6
f5
big-ip application security manager
21.0.0 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.3 · 17.5.0 — 17.5.1 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.6
f5
big-ip application visibility and reporting
21.0.0 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.3 · 17.5.0 — 17.5.1 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.6
f5
big-ip automation toolchain
21.0.0 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.3 · 17.5.0 — 17.5.1 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.6
f5
big-ip carrier-grade nat
21.0.0 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.3 · 17.5.0 — 17.5.1 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.6
f5
big-ip container ingress services
21.0.0 · 17.1.0 — 17.1.3 · 17.5.0 — 17.5.1 · 16.1.0 — 16.1.6
+12 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • AC-3 Access Enforcement
  • AC-6 Least Privilege
  • SI-2 Flaw Remediation
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 7 hardening rules · 4 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly enforces correct access permissions on tmsh diagnostics and iControl REST resources to block unauthorized network status disclosure.

prevent

Requires least-privilege assignment so authenticated users cannot reach network-diagnostics commands or REST endpoints beyond their role.

prevent

Mandates timely patching of the incorrect permission assignment flaw in BIG-IP/BIG-IQ TMOS and iControl REST.

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.AA-05 full match
prevents

Directly requires defining, enforcing, and reviewing access permissions and least privilege on resources.

PR.PS-01 mostly match
prevents

Hardened baselines and configuration management explicitly include correct permission settings for critical resources.

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.

prevents

By requiring owners to determine and document the exact permissions needed for each asset, the control reduces the likelihood that default or overly permissive file and resource permissions will be left in place.

prevents

Documented provisioning and revocation procedures reduce the chance that critical resources retain overly permissive default or leftover permissions after personnel changes.

prevents

Documented authorization, expiry rules, and audit logging of privileged accounts make it harder for critical resources to retain overly permissive or stale permission assignments.

prevents

Requiring explicit configuration of access controls and permissions for files, applications and services counters the assignment of overly permissive default or incorrect file-system rights.

prevents

Enforcing differentiated permissions on the source-code repository and program listings stops the assignment of overly broad default or inherited permissions to critical resources.

prevents

By defining and enforcing secure permission settings in configuration templates, the control reduces the likelihood that critical resources receive incorrect permission assignments.

References