BIG-IP: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
CVE-2024-41727 is a high-severity allocation of resources without limits or throttling vulnerability in BIG-IP from F5, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists version 16.1.5 as the first without the flaw, so updating BIG-IP to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.48% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update BIG-IP to 16.1.5 or a later version.
- Update Big-ip Access Policy Manager to 16.1.5 or a later version.
- Update Big-ip Advanced Firewall Manager to 16.1.5 or a later version.
- Read the advisory on my.f5.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| F5 | BIG-IP | 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 15.1.0 and later | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Access Policy Manager | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Advanced Firewall Manager | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Advanced Web Application Firewall | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Analytics | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Application Acceleration Manager | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Application Security Manager | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Application Visibility And Reporting | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Automation Toolchain | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Carrier-grade Nat | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Container Ingress Services | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Ddos Hybrid Defender | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Domain Name System | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Edge Gateway | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Fraud Protection Service | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Global Traffic Manager | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Link Controller | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Local Traffic Manager | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Policy Enforcement Manager | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip SSL Orchestrator | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Webaccelerator | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
| F5 | Big-ip Websafe | 15.1.0 through 15.1.1; 16.1.0 up to, but not including, 16.1.5; 17.1.0 | 16.1.5 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- NoneNo data is disclosed.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 8.7 | High | CNA (f5.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | CNA (f5.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | NVD |
Official description
In BIG-IP tenants running on r2000 and r4000 series hardware, or BIG-IP Virtual Edition (VEs) using Intel E810 SR-IOV NIC, undisclosed traffic can cause an increase in memory resource utilization. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Clearly specify the minimum and maximum expectations for capabilities, and dictate which behaviors are acceptable when resource allocation reaches limits.
- Limit the amount of resources that are accessible to unprivileged users. Set per-user limits for resources. Allow the system administrator to define these limits. Be careful to avoid CWE-410.
- For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
More Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerabilities (CWE-770)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Other vulnerabilities in BIG-IP
- 9.8 Critical severity
F5 BIG-IP APM Heap-based Buffer Overflow Exploited
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.7 High severity
- 8.7 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerabilities
- 8.7 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
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