IRONSMITHINTEL
CRITICALCVSS9.8
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Actively Exploited
|CISA KEV|CVE-2022-1388|Auth: none — unauthenticated|Reboot: required|Manual only

F5 BIG-IP Missing Authentication Vulnerability (CVE-2022-1388)

F5 BIG-IP contains a missing authentication in critical function vulnerability which can allow for remote code execution, creation or deletion of files, or disabling services.

Published May 5, 2022 · Updated May 17, 2026
Why patchRisk explained in plain English
Worst-case scenarioIf unpatched

A remote attacker, without authentication, can achieve full data confidentiality loss, arbitrary modification of data, complete denial of service or system unavailability. CISA has confirmed use of this vulnerability in known ransomware campaigns — treat as high priority for remediation. Federal agencies are required to remediate by 2022-05-31 under CISA BOD 22-01.

How the attack worksNo clicks needed

This is a Missing Authentication for Critical Function (CWE-306) vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP. On F5 BIG-IP 16.1.x versions prior to 16.1.2.2, 15.1.x versions prior to 15.1.5.1, 14.1.x versions prior to 14.1.4.6, 13.1.x versions prior to 13.1.5, and all 12.1.x and 11.6.x versions, undisclosed requests may bypass iControl REST authentication. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated Exploitation requires remote network access, low attack complexity, no authentication required, and no user interaction required.

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Phishing link

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Malicious file

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Server compromised

Am I affected?Quick check

Probably yes if any of these apply:

●IT Security
●Running big-ip access policy manager: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2; big-ip advanced firewall manager: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2; big-ip analytics: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2; big-ip application acceleration manager: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2; big-ip application security manager: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2; big-ip domain name system: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2; big-ip fraud protection service: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2; big-ip global traffic manager: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2; big-ip link controller: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2; big-ip local traffic manager: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2; big-ip policy enforcement manager: 11.6.1 ≤ v ≤ 11.6.5, 12.1.0 ≤ v ≤ 12.1.6, 13.1.0 ≤ v < 13.1.5, 14.1.0 ≤ v < 14.1.4.6, 15.1.0 ≤ v < 15.1.5.1, 16.1.0 ≤ v < 16.1.2.2
Real-world incidentsWhat we've seen

Used in known ransomware campaigns. Threat-research write-up: http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/167007/F5-BIG-IP-Remote-Code-Execution.html

How to patch

Manual remediation steps

1
Identify affected hosts: query inventory for network-security installs in scope.
2
Apply the vendor security update referenced in CVE-2022-1388's advisory. No specific KB/version is encoded yet — consult the linked MSRC/vendor URL.
3
Verify the fix per the vendor's published verification steps.
4
Document the remediation in your change ticket and re-scan with your vulnerability scanner to confirm closure.
PowerShell automationComing soon

No tested PowerShell script for this entry yet. We’re prioritising automation based on user demand.

References

↗ CVE-2022-1388↗ MSRC Advisory↗ NVD↗ Vendor Advisory