CVE-2023-3470: BIG-IP FIPS HSM password vulnerability CVE-2023-3470
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 24/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.17% (FIRST EPSS).
- Physical access to the device is required. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- Fixed version: F5 BIG-IP 13.1.4, 14.1.4, 15.1.1.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to F5 BIG-IP 13.1.4, 14.1.4, 15.1.1 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
Specific F5 BIG-IP platforms with Cavium Nitrox FIPS HSM cards generate a deterministic password for the Crypto User account. The predictable nature of the password allows an authenticated user with TMSH access to the BIG-IP system, or anyone with physical access to the FIPS HSM, the information required to generate the correct password. On vCMP systems, all Guests share the same deterministic password, allowing those with TMSH access on one Guest to access keys of a different Guest. The following BIG-IP hardware platforms are affected: 10350v-F, i5820-DF, i7820-DF, i15820-DF, 5250v-F, 7200v-F, 10200v-F, 6900-F, 8900-F, 11000-F, and 11050-F. The BIG-IP rSeries r5920-DF and r10920-DF are not affected, nor does the issue affect software FIPS implementations or network HSM configurations. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.
- Published
- Aug 2, 2023
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.1% · 7th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-1391
Report tools
Action score
24
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 24 / 40 · 6.1 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.1%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 6.1
- CNA · f5
- 6.0
- 0.1 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| f5 | big-ip access policy manager | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_access_policy_manager |
| f5 | big-ip advanced firewall manager | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_advanced_firewall_manager |
| f5 | big-ip advanced web application firewall | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_advanced_web_application_firewall |
| f5 | big-ip analytics | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_analytics |
| f5 | big-ip application acceleration manager | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_acceleration_manager |
| f5 | big-ip application security manager | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_security_manager |
| f5 | big-ip application visibility and reporting | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_visibility_and_reporting |
| f5 | big-ip carrier-grade nat | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_carrier-grade_nat |
| f5 | big-ip ddos hybrid defender | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_ddos_hybrid_defender |
| f5 | big-ip domain name system | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_domain_name_system |
| f5 | big-ip edge gateway | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_edge_gateway |
| f5 | big-ip fraud protection service | cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_fraud_protection_service |
and 29 more
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- f5 big-ip 10200v-f firmwareall versions
- f5 big-ip 10350v-f firmwareall versions
- f5 big-ip 11000-f firmwareall versions
- f5 big-ip 11050-f firmwareall versions
- f5 big-ip 5250v-f firmwareall versions
- f5 big-ip 6900-f firmwareall versions
- f5 big-ip 7200v-f firmwareall versions
- f5 big-ip 8900-f firmwareall versions
- f5 big-ip access policy manager13.1.0 and later · before 13.1.4
- f5 big-ip access policy manager14.1.0 and later · before 14.1.4
- f5 big-ip access policy manager15.1.0
- f5 big-ip advanced firewall manager13.1.0 and later · before 13.1.4
- f5 big-ip advanced firewall manager14.1.0 and later · before 14.1.4
- f5 big-ip advanced firewall manager15.1.0
- f5 big-ip advanced web application firewall13.1.0 and later · before 13.1.4
- f5 big-ip advanced web application firewall14.1.0 and later · before 14.1.4
- f5 big-ip advanced web application firewall15.1.0
- f5 big-ip analytics13.1.0 and later · before 13.1.4
- f5 big-ip analytics14.1.0 and later · before 14.1.4
- f5 big-ip analytics15.1.0
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (f5). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
F5 BIG-IP
- 16.0.0 and laternot affected · semver
- 15.1.0 and later · before 15.1.1affected · semver
- 14.1.0 and later · before 14.1.4affected · semver
- 13.1.0 and later · before 13.1.4affected · semver
Same product
f5: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2022-1388On F5 BIG-IP 16.1.x versions prior to 16.1.2.2, 15.1.x versions prior to 15.1.5.1, 14.1.x versions prior to 14.1.4.6, 13.1.x versions prior KEV99Now
- CVE-2021-22986On BIG-IP versions 16.0.x before 16.0.1.1, 15.1.x before 15.1.2.1, 14.1.x before 14.1.4, 13.1.x before 13.1.3.6, and 12.1.x before 12.1.5.3 KEV99Now
- CVE-2020-5902In BIG-IP versions 15.0.0-15.1.0.3, 14.1.0-14.1.2.5, 13.1.0-13.1.3.3, 12.1.0-12.1.5.1, and 11.6.1-11.6.5.1, the Traffic Management User InteKEV99Now
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2023-38419Aug 2, 2023 · BIG-IP and BIG-IQ iControl SOAP vulnerability17Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2023-38423Aug 2, 2023 · BIG-IP Configuration utility vulnerability21Monitor
- Later →CVE-2023-43124Sep 27, 2023 · BIG-IP APM Clients TunnelCrack vulnerability28Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| F5 BIG-IP | 13.1.4 | Vendor (CNA) |
| F5 BIG-IP | 14.1.4 | Vendor (CNA) |
| F5 BIG-IP | 15.1.1 | Vendor (CNA) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
- F5finder
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Physical access to the device is required.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- none
- Attack vector
- Physical
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-1391 · Use of Weak CredentialsCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.