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Weekly Signal
Live intelligence Updated 19 Aug 2026 · 12:58 UTC

F5 · Big-ip Access Policy Manager, Big-ip Advanced Firewall Manager, Big-ip Advanced Web Application Firewall +13 more

CVE-2021-22986

F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ Centralized Management iControl REST Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Recommended action

Treat this as an immediate remediation priority. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

View response plan
CVSS9.8
EPSS99.9%
KEVYes
ExploitationConfirmed exploitation
PatchPatch or guidance available ↓

Assessment

Why it matters

CISA lists this vulnerability as known to be exploited; exploitation is confirmed; EPSS is 99.9%; technical severity is CVSS 9.8.

On 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 amd BIG-IQ 7.1.0.x before 7.1.0.3 and 7.0.0.x before 7.0.0.2, the iControl REST interface has an unauthenticated remote command execution vulnerability. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Software Development (EoSD) are not evaluated.

Who should care

  • Teams operating Big-ip Access Policy Manager, Big-ip Advanced Firewall Manager, Big-ip Advanced Web Application Firewall +13 more
  • Vulnerability and exposure management teams
  • Security operations teams monitoring exploitation activity

Response plan

What I would do

  1. Confirm whether Big-ip Access Policy Manager, Big-ip Advanced Firewall Manager, Big-ip Advanced Web Application Firewall +13 more is present in the environment.
  2. Identify affected versions and establish whether vulnerable services are exposed or reachable.
  3. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
  4. Review relevant security telemetry for evidence of attempted or successful exploitation.
  5. Document the remediation decision and track it to verified completion.

Vendor remediation

Patch and remediation links

Use the vendor source below to confirm the correct fixed version, package or mitigation for your affected product.

Technical details

CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE
CWE-918
Affected versions
F5 Big-ip Access Policy Manager (Start Including: 16.0.0, End Excluding: 16.0.1.1); F5 Big-ip Advanced Firewall Manager (Start Including: 16.0.0, End Excluding: 16.0.1.1); F5 Big-ip Advanced Web Application Firewall (Start Including: 16.0.0, End Excluding: 16.0.1.1); F5 Big-ip Analytics (Start Including: 16.0.0, End Excluding: 16.0.1.1); F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ Centralized Management; F5 Big-ip Application Acceleration Manager (Start Including: 16.0.0, End Excluding: 16.0.1.1); F5 Big-ip Application Security Manager (Start Including: 16.0.0, End Excluding: 16.0.1.1); F5 Big-ip Ddos Hybrid Defender (Start Including: 16.0.0, End Excluding: 16.0.1.1)
Published
31 March 2021
Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None

Signal timeline

  1. CVE published
  2. Added to CISA KEV
  3. Latest EPSS score: 99.9%
  4. Signal calculated at 88

External references

Live public intelligence This assessment combines public-source evidence. Validate the affected product, version and exposure against your own environment before making a risk decision.