CVE-2021-22978 Cross-site scripting in BIG-IP

High 8.3 Published 12 Feb 2021 Updated 3 Aug 2024

Reflected XSS in iControl REST allows attackers to compromise BIG-IP systems if the victim has admin privileges.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: A user has to click or open something
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2021-22978?

CVE-2021-22978 is a high-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager, published on 12 Feb 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

On BIG-IP version 16.0.x before 16.0.1, 15.1.x before 15.1.1, 14.1.x before 14.1.3.1, 13.1.x before 13.1.3.5, and all 12.1.x and 11.6.x versions, undisclosed endpoints in iControl REST allow for a reflected XSS attack, which could lead to a complete compromise of BIG-IP if the victim user is granted the admin role. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Software Development (EoSD) are not evaluated.

Weakness: CWE-79

Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-22978?

It affects 14 products.

Products include F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager, F5 Big-Ip Advanced Firewall Manager, F5 Big-Ip Advanced Web Application Firewall, F5 Big-Ip Analytics, F5 Big-Ip Application Acceleration Manager, F5 Big-Ip Application Security Manager and 8 more.

How do I fix CVE-2021-22978?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-22978 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Escape output for the context it lands in and set a strict Content Security Policy. Upgrading the affected component is the real fix. More about Cross-site scripting.

Is CVE-2021-22978 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-22978 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-q853-h2cq-3f42.