# CVE-2023-38418: BIG-IP Edge Client for macOS vulnerability

> Attackers can escalate privileges during installation due to improper privilege elevation practices in the macOS installer.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 2 Aug 2023
- **Updated:** 17 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-grr5-2xqc-rxr6

## What is CVE-2023-38418?

CVE-2023-38418 is a high-severity vulnerability in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager, published on 2 Aug 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The BIG-IP Edge Client Installer on macOS does not follow best practices for elevating privileges during the installation process.  Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

Weakness: CWE-347 (Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-38418?

It affects 2 products.


Products: F5 Access Policy Manager Clients, F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-38418?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-38418 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-38418 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-38418 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager

- [CVE-2022-29263](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-29263/): Other in BIG-IP APM (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2021-22980](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22980/): Other in Edge Client (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2023-36858](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36858/): BIG-IP Edge Client for Windows and macOS vulnerability (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2021-23002](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-23002/): Information disclosure in BIG-IP APM and Edge Client (medium 4.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-38418 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-38418 is a high-severity vulnerability in F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager, published on 2 Aug 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-38418 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: F5 Big-Ip Access Policy Manager. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38418/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38418/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38418
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38418
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-38418

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38418/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.