CVE-2017-6154 in BIG-IP ASM
Summary
by MITRE
On F5 BIG-IP systems running 13.0.0, 12.1.0 - 12.1.3.1, or 11.6.1 - 11.6.2, the BIG-IP ASM bd daemon may core dump memory under some circumstances when processing undisclosed types of data on systems with 48 or more CPU cores.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-6154 affects F5 BIG-IP systems across multiple version ranges including 13.0.0, 12.1.0 through 12.1.3.1, and 11.6.1 through 11.6.2. This issue specifically targets the BIG-IP Application Security Manager (ASM) bd daemon component which is responsible for processing application security policies and monitoring traffic for potential threats. The vulnerability manifests as a memory core dump condition that occurs when the daemon processes certain undisclosed types of data inputs, creating a potential denial of service scenario that could disrupt critical network security operations. The specific trigger conditions remain undisclosed by F5, which is common for zero-day vulnerabilities where the exact data patterns that cause the crash are not publicly disclosed to prevent exploitation while allowing affected organizations to prepare mitigations.
The technical flaw within the bd daemon demonstrates a memory management issue that becomes particularly pronounced on systems equipped with 48 or more CPU cores. This suggests the vulnerability is related to how the daemon handles concurrent processing or memory allocation patterns when scaling across multiple cores, potentially involving race conditions or improper memory cleanup operations. The core dump behavior indicates that the daemon encounters a critical error during data processing that forces the system to terminate the process and generate a memory dump file. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, or potentially CWE-122 for heap-based buffer overflows, though the exact nature remains unspecified. The memory corruption likely occurs during the parsing or handling of malformed input data that the daemon does not properly validate or sanitize before processing.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it affects critical application security infrastructure within enterprise networks. When the bd daemon crashes, it can lead to complete loss of application security monitoring capabilities for the affected BIG-IP system, leaving applications exposed to potential attacks that the ASM would normally detect and prevent. Organizations relying on F5 BIG-IP systems for web application firewall protection face significant risk of security gaps during the time between vulnerability discovery and patch implementation, potentially allowing attackers to exploit other vulnerabilities or bypass security controls. The multi-core system requirement suggests this vulnerability is particularly concerning for large enterprise deployments or data centers where high-performance BIG-IP systems with 48+ cores are commonly deployed. The impact on availability is severe as the crash affects the core security functionality of the system, potentially requiring system restarts and manual intervention to restore security monitoring capabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-6154 should focus on immediate patching of affected systems, as F5 has released security updates addressing this specific vulnerability. Organizations should prioritize patch deployment across all affected BIG-IP versions and implement monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit exposure of affected systems, while implementing additional logging and alerting mechanisms to detect abnormal behavior in the ASM components. The vulnerability's relationship to multi-core systems suggests that organizations should also consider implementing resource monitoring to detect unusual memory usage patterns that might indicate the daemon is encountering problematic data inputs. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving denial of service and privilege escalation through system component exploitation, potentially enabling adversaries to disrupt security controls and create opportunities for further compromise. Organizations should also consider implementing redundant security monitoring solutions to maintain protection capabilities during patching windows and ensure that any temporary workarounds do not introduce additional security risks to the overall network infrastructure.