CVE-2019-6665 in BIG-IP ASM
Summary
by MITRE
On BIG-IP ASM 15.0.0-15.0.1, 14.1.0-14.1.2, 14.0.0-14.0.1, and 13.1.0-13.1.3.1, BIG-IQ 6.0.0 and 5.2.0-5.4.0, iWorkflow 2.3.0, and Enterprise Manager 3.1.1, an attacker with access to the device communication between the BIG-IP ASM Central Policy Builder and the BIG-IQ/Enterprise Manager/F5 iWorkflow will be able to set up the proxy the same way and intercept the traffic.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2024
This vulnerability exists in F5 BIG-IP application security management products including ASM, BIG-IQ, iWorkflow, and Enterprise Manager across multiple versions. The flaw stems from insufficient authentication and authorization mechanisms during communication between the BIG-IP ASM Central Policy Builder and management systems. Attackers who gain access to the device network can establish proxy connections that intercept and potentially manipulate traffic flowing between these components. This represents a critical man-in-the-middle attack vector that undermines the security posture of enterprise applications protected by these systems. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows attackers to position themselves in the communication path without requiring elevated privileges or complex exploitation techniques.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves weak cryptographic protections and inadequate session management during inter-component communications. When the BIG-IP ASM Central Policy Builder establishes connections with BIG-IQ, Enterprise Manager, or iWorkflow systems, the authentication mechanisms fail to properly validate the legitimacy of connecting entities. This allows malicious actors to create proxy servers that can transparently intercept, monitor, and potentially modify the data flowing between these security components. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-308 - Use of Single Factor Authentication and CWE-312 - Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Data, as it exposes sensitive communication channels and policy information that should remain protected. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1041 - Exfiltration Over C2 Channel, where attackers establish covert communication paths to intercept and potentially manipulate security-critical data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations relying on F5 security infrastructure. Successful exploitation allows attackers to gain visibility into application security policies, intercept sensitive data flows, and potentially manipulate security decisions made by the BIG-IP systems. This could lead to unauthorized access to protected applications, data breaches, and complete compromise of the security posture. Organizations may experience unauthorized policy modifications, which could weaken overall application security controls. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of critical security infrastructure components, making it particularly widespread and difficult to remediate across large enterprise environments. The attack surface is expanded by the fact that the vulnerability exists in both the application security management and centralized management systems, creating multiple potential entry points for attackers.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of network segmentation to isolate management interfaces from general network traffic. Organizations must ensure that all affected systems are updated to the latest available patches from F5, which address the authentication and communication security flaws. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual proxy configurations or unexpected communication patterns between security components. The implementation of strong cryptographic protections including TLS 1.3 and certificate-based authentication should be enforced for all inter-component communications. Regular security audits should verify that no unauthorized proxy configurations exist within the environment. Additionally, organizations should implement strict access controls and privilege management to minimize the impact if the vulnerability is successfully exploited, following NIST SP 800-53 security controls for secure communications and access management.