CVE-2016-2084 in BIG-IP
Summary
by MITRE
F5 BIG-IP LTM, AFM, Analytics, APM, ASM, Link Controller, and PEM 11.3.x, 11.4.x before 11.4.1 build 685-HF10, 11.5.1 before build 10.104.180, 11.5.2 before 11.5.4 build 0.1.256, 11.6.0 before build 6.204.442, and 12.0.0 before build 1.14.628; BIG-IP AAM 11.4.x before 11.4.1 build 685-HF10, 11.5.1 before build 10.104.180, 11.5.2 before 11.5.4 build 0.1.256, 11.6.0 before build 6.204.442, and 12.0.0 before build 1.14.628; BIG-IP DNS 12.0.0 before build 1.14.628; BIG-IP Edge Gateway, WebAccelerator, and WOM 11.3.0; BIG-IP GTM 11.3.x, 11.4.x before 11.4.1 build 685-HF10, 11.5.1 before build 10.104.180, 11.5.2 before 11.5.4 build 0.1.256, and 11.6.0 before build 6.204.442; BIG-IP PSM 11.3.x and 11.4.x before 11.4.1 build 685-HF10; BIG-IQ Cloud, Device, and Security 4.2.0 through 4.5.0; and BIG-IQ ADC 4.5.0 do not properly regenerate certificates and keys when deploying cloud images in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure or Verizon cloud services environments, which allows attackers to obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service (disruption) by leveraging a target instance configuration.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/24/2022
This vulnerability affects multiple F5 BIG-IP product lines including Local Traffic Manager, Advanced Firewall Manager, Analytics, Application Persistence Manager, Application Security Manager, Link Controller, and PEM across various software versions. The core issue stems from improper certificate and key regeneration during cloud image deployment across AWS, Azure, and Verizon cloud environments. This flaw represents a critical configuration management weakness that can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive system information or disrupt services through targeted attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it impacts the fundamental security infrastructure of cloud-deployed BIG-IP systems, potentially allowing adversaries to establish persistent access to network resources.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the failure of the system to properly regenerate cryptographic certificates and private keys during the automated deployment process in cloud environments. When BIG-IP systems are provisioned in cloud services, the platform should generate fresh cryptographic materials to ensure secure communications and prevent credential reuse attacks. However, in affected versions, the system reuses or fails to properly generate these critical security components, creating predictable cryptographic states that attackers can exploit. This weakness aligns with CWE-310, which addresses cryptographic issues related to improper key generation and management. The flaw occurs at the deployment automation level where cloud orchestration processes fail to maintain proper cryptographic separation between instances, creating a persistent security gap.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to include potential service disruption and unauthorized access to critical network infrastructure. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can obtain sensitive information such as private keys, certificates, and potentially administrative credentials that allow them to manipulate traffic flows, intercept communications, or gain elevated privileges within the network. The disruption potential is significant as attackers could cause denial of service conditions by corrupting the cryptographic state of the system, leading to service unavailability for legitimate users. This vulnerability particularly impacts organizations using cloud-native deployments where rapid scaling and automated provisioning are common practices, making the attack surface larger and more difficult to monitor.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the patched versions specified in the advisory, which include builds 685-HF10, 10.104.180, 0.1.256, 6.204.442, and 1.14.628 for the affected software versions. The recommended approach involves performing comprehensive system updates across all affected BIG-IP products and ensuring that cloud deployment processes are configured to properly regenerate cryptographic materials during instance provisioning. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough inventory assessments to identify all affected systems and implement monitoring for unusual cryptographic behavior or unauthorized access attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit potential impact if exploitation occurs. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper key management practices and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001 for unsecured credentials and T1499.004 for network disruption, emphasizing the need for robust cloud security configurations and automated security controls.