CVE-2025-59481
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows authenticated attackers with resource administrator privileges to execute arbitrary system commands with elevated permissions on affected F5 BIG-IP systems. Attackers can cross security boundaries and potentially gain full control of the system. Only systems running supported software versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- F5 BIG-IP
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise leading to data exfiltration, lateral movement, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Privilege escalation leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data, configuration changes, or disruption of network services.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to restricted access controls, network segmentation, and monitoring preventing successful exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated access but command execution is straightforward once authenticated.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check vendor advisory for specific fixed versions
Vendor Advisory: https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000156642
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review F5 advisory K000156642. 2. Identify affected version. 3. Download and apply appropriate patch from F5 Downloads. 4. Restart affected services/systems as required.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Resource Administrator Access
allLimit resource administrator roles to only essential personnel and implement strict access controls.
# Review and modify user roles via tmsh: tmsh list auth user
# Remove unnecessary resource administrator privileges
Network Segmentation
linuxIsolate BIG-IP management interfaces from untrusted networks and implement strict firewall rules.
# Configure firewall rules to restrict access to management interfaces
# Example: iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s trusted_network -j ACCEPT
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls and monitor all resource administrator activity
- Segment network to isolate BIG-IP systems and implement intrusion detection
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check BIG-IP version against affected versions in F5 advisory K000156642Check Version:
tmsh show sys versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version matches or exceeds patched version specified in advisory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual tmsh command execution patterns
- Unexpected privilege escalation attempts
- Suspicious system command execution from web interfaces
Network Indicators:
- Anomalous traffic from BIG-IP management interfaces
- Unexpected outbound connections from BIG-IP systems
SIEM Query:
source="bigip_logs" AND (event_type="command_execution" OR user_role="Resource Administrator") AND command="*system*"