Days after F5 released patches for a critical remote code execution vulnerability affecting its BIG-IP family of products, security researchers are warning that they were able to create an exploit for the shortcoming.
Tracked CVE-2022-1388 (CVSS score: 9. 8), the flaw relates to an iControl REST authentication bypass that, if successfully exploited, could lead to remote code execution, allowing an attacker to gain initial access and take control of an affected system.
This could include deploying cryptocurrency miners or deploying webshells to carry out follow-on attacks such as ransomware and information theft.
“We have reproduced the fresh CVE-2022-1388 in F5’s BIG-IP,” cybersecurity company Positive Technologies said in a tweet on Friday. “Patch ASAP! “
The critical security flaw in the following BIG-IP products –
is affecting these versions.
- 16. 1.0 – 16.1. 2
- 15. 1.0 – 15.1. 5
- 14. 1.0 – 14.1. 4
- 13. 1.0 – 13.1. 4
- 12. 1.0 – 12.1. 6
- 11.6. 1 – 11.6. 5
Fixes are available in versions 17.0.0, 16.1.2. 2, 15.1.5. 1, 14.1.4. 6, and 13.1.5. Firmware versions 11.x and 12.x will not receive security updates and users relying on those versions should consider upgrading to a newer version or apply the workarounds –
- Block iControl REST access through the self IP address
- Block iControl access via the management interface and
- Modify the BIG-IP httpd configuration
Last month, cybersecurity authorities from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. jointly warned that “threat actors aggressively targeted newly disclosed critical software vulnerabilities against broad target sets, including public and private sector organizations worldwide. “
With the F5 BIG-IP flaw found trivial to exploit, malicious hacking crews are expected to follow suit, making it imperative that affected organizations apply the patches.
