CVE-2018-15325 in BIG-IP
Summary
by MITRE
In BIG-IP 14.0.0-14.0.0.2 or 13.0.0-13.1.1.1, iControl and TMSH usage by authenticated users may leak a small amount of memory when executing commands
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15325 affects F5 BIG-IP appliances running specific versions of the operating system where authenticated users can potentially exploit a memory leak condition through iControl and TMSH command execution interfaces. This issue represents a subtle but significant security concern within enterprise network infrastructure systems that handle critical traffic management and application delivery functions. The affected versions span across the 14.0.0 through 14.0.0.2 release series and the 13.0.0 through 13.1.1.1 release series, indicating a broad impact across multiple major versions of the F5 BIG-IP platform.
The technical flaw manifests as a memory leak occurring during command execution processes within the iControl and TMSH interfaces, which are fundamental management tools for configuring and controlling BIG-IP systems. When authenticated users execute commands through these interfaces, a small amount of memory becomes unreleased and remains allocated within the system's memory space. This memory leak, while seemingly minor in individual instances, can accumulate over time and repeated command executions, leading to progressive memory consumption that may eventually impact system performance and stability. The vulnerability falls under the category of memory management issues that can contribute to resource exhaustion scenarios, making it particularly concerning in high-traffic environments where these interfaces are frequently accessed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple performance degradation, as memory leaks can eventually lead to system instability, application crashes, or complete service outages in severe cases. Network administrators managing BIG-IP appliances must consider that the cumulative effect of these memory leaks could compromise the reliability of critical network services, especially in environments where the appliances handle substantial traffic loads or where multiple management sessions are active simultaneously. The vulnerability affects the fundamental management capabilities of the system, potentially impacting the ability of administrators to perform routine maintenance, configuration changes, or emergency response activities during critical incidents when system resources are already strained.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which addresses improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation, and represents a potential vector for resource exhaustion attacks that could be exploited by malicious actors to degrade service availability. The issue also connects to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks through resource exhaustion, as the memory leak could be amplified through automated command execution to consume system resources systematically. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader security posture assessment, particularly in environments where BIG-IP appliances serve as critical infrastructure components for application delivery, load balancing, and traffic management functions. The recommended mitigation strategy involves applying the official F5 security patches and updates, implementing monitoring for unusual memory consumption patterns, and establishing regular maintenance procedures to prevent accumulation of leaked memory resources.