CVE-2015-8098 in BIG-IP APM
Summary
by MITRE
F5 BIG-IP APM 11.4.1 before 11.4.1 HF9, 11.5.x before 11.5.3, and 11.6.0 before 11.6.0 HF4 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service or execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors related to processing a Citrix Remote Desktop connection through a virtual server configured with a remote desktop profile, aka an "Out-of-bounds memory vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-8098 affects F5 BIG-IP Application Visibility and Management (APM) modules running specific versions of the software. This issue represents a critical out-of-bounds memory vulnerability that manifests when processing Citrix Remote Desktop connections through virtual servers configured with remote desktop profiles. The affected versions include F5 BIG-IP APM 11.4.1 before 11.4.1 HF9, 11.5.x before 11.5.3, and 11.6.0 before 11.6.0 HF4, making it a widespread concern across multiple release branches of the F5 product line. The vulnerability operates at the network infrastructure level, targeting the application layer processing capabilities of the BIG-IP system.
The technical flaw stems from improper input validation and memory handling within the APM module when processing Citrix Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections. When a remote attacker sends specially crafted RDP traffic through a virtual server configured with a remote desktop profile, the system fails to properly validate memory boundaries during connection processing. This leads to memory corruption that can be exploited to either cause a denial of service condition or achieve arbitrary code execution on the affected system. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 out-of-bounds read weakness category, specifically manifesting as an improper validation of memory access patterns during protocol processing.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations relying on F5 BIG-IP systems for application delivery and security management. The ability to achieve arbitrary code execution provides attackers with potential access to the underlying operating system, enabling them to escalate privileges, install backdoors, or exfiltrate sensitive data from the network. The denial of service component can disrupt critical business applications and services, potentially causing substantial financial and operational losses. Given that the vulnerability affects remote desktop processing capabilities, it particularly impacts organizations with remote access requirements, making it attractive to threat actors targeting corporate networks.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-supplied patches and hotfixes for the affected versions, as well as implementing network segmentation to limit access to affected virtual servers. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol and T1499.004 for network disruption, demonstrating both the execution and denial of service capabilities. Security teams should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous RDP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing proper input validation mechanisms in application layer processing components. Organizations should also review their remote access configurations and ensure that only necessary services are exposed to untrusted networks, reducing the attack surface for similar vulnerabilities.