CVE-2016-7469 in BIG-IP
Summary
by MITRE
A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Configuration utility device name change page in BIG-IP LTM, AAM, AFM, Analytics, APM, ASM, DNS, Edge Gateway, GTM, Link Controller, PEM, PSM, WebAccelerator, WOM and WebSafe version 12.0.0 - 12.1.2, 11.4.0 - 11.6.1, and 11.2.1 allows an authenticated user to inject arbitrary web script or HTML. Exploitation requires Resource Administrator or Administrator privileges, and it could cause the Configuration utility client to become unstable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7469 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw within F5 Networks BIG-IP family of security appliances. This vulnerability affects multiple BIG-IP modules including Local Traffic Manager, Application Acceleration Manager, Advanced Firewall Manager, Analytics, Application Policy Manager, Application Security Manager, DNS, Edge Gateway, Global Traffic Manager, Link Controller, Policy Enforcement Manager, Presentation Layer Security, Web Accelerator, and Web Optimization Manager. The flaw exists specifically within the Configuration utility's device name change page functionality, making it accessible through the web-based management interface that administrators use to configure these critical network security devices.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the device name parameter handling mechanism. When an authenticated user with Resource Administrator or Administrator privileges submits a specially crafted device name containing malicious script code, the system fails to properly sanitize this input before storing it in the configuration database. This stored data is subsequently rendered without adequate HTML escaping when the Configuration utility page is accessed, allowing the malicious script to execute within the context of the victim's browser session. The vulnerability manifests as a stored XSS condition because the malicious payload persists in the system and executes whenever the affected page is loaded, rather than requiring a direct user interaction with a crafted link.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on F5 BIG-IP appliances for network security and application delivery. The requirement for Resource Administrator or Administrator privileges means that the attack vector typically involves either insider threats or compromised administrative credentials, though this does not diminish the severity of the potential impact. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized administrative actions, redirect users to malicious sites, or extract sensitive configuration data from the appliance. The reported instability of the Configuration utility client adds to the operational concerns, as it could potentially disrupt legitimate administrative activities and create denial-of-service conditions for authorized users attempting to manage the system.
Security practitioners should recognize this vulnerability as mapping to CWE-79 in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities through improper output encoding. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566.001 for Phishing, as the stored nature of the vulnerability enables persistent attack vectors that can compromise multiple users over time. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches, implementing network segmentation to limit administrative access, and monitoring for suspicious configuration changes. Additionally, the principle of least privilege should be enforced by restricting administrative access to only necessary personnel and implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications, particularly within management interfaces that handle sensitive configuration data and have elevated privileges within network infrastructure.