BIG-IP and BIG-IQ privilege escalation vulnerability
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-42406 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | f5 |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-05-13 16:16:47 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-05-13 16:27:11 UTC |
| Description | A vulnerability exists in BIG-IP and BIG-IQ systems where a highly privileged, authenticated attacker with at least the Certificate Manager role can modify configuration objects that allow running arbitrary commands. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 8.5 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Problem Types: CWE-267 | CWE-267 CWE-267 Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 8.5 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 8.5 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Primary | 8.7 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 8.7 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 6.5 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowAttack Requirements
NonePrivileges Required
HighUser Interaction
NoneConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
NoneSub Conf.
NoneSub Integrity
NoneSub Availability
NoneCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
HighUser Interaction
NoneScope
ChangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
NoneCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | F5 | BIG-IP | unaffected 21.1.0 * custom | Not specified |
| CNA | F5 | BIG-IP | affected 21.0.0 21.0.0.2 custom | Not specified |
| CNA | F5 | BIG-IP | affected 17.5.0 17.5.1.6 custom | Not specified |
| CNA | F5 | BIG-IP | affected 17.1.0 17.1.3.2 custom | Not specified |
| CNA | F5 | BIG-IP | affected 16.1.0 * custom | Not specified |
| CNA | F5 | BIG-IQ | affected 8.4.0 * custom | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000160971 | [email protected] | my.f5.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: F5 (en)
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.