CVE-2015-5058 in BIG-IP
Summary
by MITRE
Memory leak in the virtual server component in F5 Big-IP LTM, AAM, AFM, Analytics, APM, ASM, GTM, Link Controller, and PEM 11.5.x before 11.5.1 HF10, 11.5.3 before HF1, and 11.6.0 before HF5, BIG-IQ Cloud, Device, and Security 4.4.0 through 4.5.0, and BIG-IQ ADC 4.5.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a large number of crafted ICMP packets.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-5058 represents a critical memory leak flaw within the virtual server component of F5 Big-IP products, affecting multiple modules including Local Traffic Manager AAM AFM Analytics APM ASM GTM Link Controller and PEM across specific version ranges. This issue manifests when the system processes a large volume of crafted ICMP packets, leading to progressive memory consumption that ultimately results in denial of service conditions. The affected versions span across 11.5.x prior to 11.5.1 HF10 11.5.3 prior to HF1 and 11.6.0 prior to HF5 along with BIG-IQ Cloud Device and Security 4.4.0 through 4.5.0 and BIG-IQ ADC 4.5.0. The vulnerability operates at the network protocol level where the system fails to properly manage memory allocation when handling ICMP traffic, creating a persistent resource exhaustion condition that can be triggered remotely without authentication requirements.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper handling of ICMP packet processing within the virtual server component of F5 Big-IP systems. When the system receives crafted ICMP packets, the memory management routines fail to properly release allocated memory resources, causing a gradual accumulation of memory usage over time. This memory leak occurs during the packet parsing and processing phases where the system maintains references to memory blocks that should be freed after successful packet handling. The flaw specifically affects the virtual server's ICMP handling mechanism, which is part of the broader network traffic processing infrastructure that manages various service delivery functions across the F5 platform. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-401 which describes improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation, and can be categorized under the broader ATT&CK technique T1499.1 for resource exhaustion attacks targeting network infrastructure components.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-5058 extends beyond simple service disruption to create sustained degradation of network infrastructure availability and performance. Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability by simply sending a large volume of crafted ICMP packets to target systems, requiring no authentication or specialized privileges. The memory consumption grows progressively with each packet processed, eventually leading to complete system memory exhaustion and service termination. This creates a significant risk for network availability as legitimate traffic may be disrupted while the system struggles with resource constraints. Organizations using affected F5 Big-IP versions face potential business interruption risks, especially in environments where continuous service availability is critical for mission-critical applications. The vulnerability particularly affects load balancing and traffic management functions, potentially causing cascading failures across interconnected network services that depend on the affected systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-5058 require immediate implementation of software updates and patches provided by F5 to address the memory leak in the virtual server component. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to the patched versions including 11.5.1 HF10 11.5.3 HF1 and 11.6.0 HF5 for the Big-IP LTM and related modules, along with the appropriate BIG-IQ versions. Network administrators should implement rate limiting and packet filtering mechanisms to restrict ICMP traffic where possible, particularly on interfaces handling critical services. Monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect abnormal memory consumption patterns and trigger automated alerts when memory usage exceeds predefined thresholds. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all affected systems within their environment and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing resource exhaustion attacks. The mitigation approach should follow established cybersecurity frameworks and include both immediate remediation actions and long-term monitoring strategies to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other network infrastructure components.