Vulnerability Snapshot
CVE-2016-5022 is rated CRITICAL — exploitation is trivial or already observed in the wild and impact is severe. Patch immediately, not on the next maintenance window.
Affected technology: big-ip_link_controller, big-ip_policy_enforcement_manager, big-ip_access_policy_manager, big-ip_global_traffic_manager, big-iq_cloud, plus 5 other product variants.
Executive Summary
F5 BIG-IP LTM, Analytics, APM, ASM, and Link Controller 11.2.x before 11.2.1 HF16, 11.3.x, 11.4.x, 11.5.x before 11.5.4 HF2, 11.6.x before 11.6.1 HF1, and 12.x before 12.0.0 HF3; BIG-IP AAM, AFM, and PEM 11.4.x, 11.5.x before 11.5.4 HF2, 11.6.x before 11.6.1 HF1, and 12.x before 12.0.0 HF3; BIG-IP DNS 12.x before 12.0.0 HF3; BIG-IP Edge Gateway, WebAccelerator, and WOM 11.2.x before 11.2.1 HF16 and 11.3.0; BIG-IP GTM 11.2.x before 11.2.1 HF16, 11.3.x, 11.4.x, 11.5.x before 11.5.4 HF2, and 11.6.x before 11.6.1 HF1; BIG-IP PSM 11.2.x before 11.2.1 HF16, 11.3.x, and 11.4.0 through 11.4.1; Enterprise Manager 3.1.1; BIG-IQ Cloud and Security 4.0.0 through 4.5.0; BIG-IQ Device 4.2.0 through 4.5.0; BIG-IQ ADC 4.5.0; BIG-IQ Centralized Management 5.0.0; BIG-IQ Cloud and Orchestration 1.0.0; and iWorkflow 2.0.0, when Packet Filtering is enabled on virtual servers and possibly self IP addresses, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (Traffic Management Microkernel restart) and poss
Why It Matters
CVE-2016-5022 is rated CRITICAL severity, requiring immediate attention from security teams.
CVSS Base Score: 9.8/10
Affected Technologies
Vendors: f5
Products: big-ip_link_controller, big-ip_policy_enforcement_manager, big-ip_access_policy_manager, big-ip_global_traffic_manager, big-iq_cloud, big-ip_webaccelerator, big-iq_application_delivery_controller, big-ip_application_security_manager, big-ip_local_traffic_manager, big-ip_wan_optimization_manager, big-iq_device, big-ip_advanced_firewall_manager, big-ip_domain_name_system, big-iq_centralized_management, big-iq_cloud_and_orchestration, f5_iworkflow, big-ip_application_acceleration_manager, big-ip_edge_gateway, enterprise_manager, big-ip_protocol_security_module, big-ip_analytics, big-iq_security
🛡️What Defenders Should Check
Use Vulnios to continuously monitor your exposure to CVE-2016-5022 and similar vulnerabilities.
References & Sources
How Vulnios Detects This
Vulnios scans for this vulnerability using Nuclei templates that probe live HTTP surfaces for the published exploit pattern. Run a scan against your environment to see whether you are exposed; findings are linked back to the original CVE record so triage starts with the patch path already known.
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Affected Products
Sources
Related Threat Alerts
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2016-5700 — f5 — big-ip_policy_enforcement_manager, big-ip_local_traffic_manager
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2016-5745 — f5 — big-ip_local_traffic_manager
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2015-8098 — f5 — big-ip_access_policy_manager
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2015-8611 — f5 — big-ip_domain_name_system, big-ip_application_acceleration_manager
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2017-6165 — f5 — big-ip_access_policy_manager, big-ip_advanced_firewall_manager
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2017-6131 — f5 — big-ip_local_traffic_manager, big-ip_application_acceleration_manager
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2016-5022?
CVE-2016-5022 is a critical-severity vulnerability tracked under the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures program. F5 BIG-IP LTM, Analytics, APM, ASM, and Link Controller 11.2.x before 11.2.1 HF16, 11.3.x, 11.4.x, 11.5.x before 11.5.4 HF2, 11.6.x before 11.6.1 HF1, and 12.x before 12.0.0 HF3; BIG-IP AAM, AFM, and
Am I affected?
Check whether your environment runs big-ip_link_controller, big-ip_policy_enforcement_manager, big-ip_access_policy_manager, big-ip_global_traffic_manager, big-iq_cloud. If you operate any of those, treat yourself as in scope until you have evidence otherwise. A Vulnios scan will identify the exact assets carrying the affected version.
How urgent is the response?
Critical: do not wait for your normal patch cycle. Verify exposure today, apply the vendor patch immediately, and add detection rules for any post-exploit indicators.
How do I remediate?
Apply the vendor patch listed in the upstream advisory linked under Sources. If the patch is not yet available, follow the vendor-supplied workaround (often a config flag or feature disable) and add detections for the published exploit pattern in your SIEM. Re-scan after the patch lands to confirm the finding clears.
Where can I track exploitation activity?
Watch CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog for CVE-2016-5022. Cross-reference with public exploit databases and your own SIEM/IDS for indicator-of-compromise patterns. Vulnios tracks KEV status automatically and surfaces it on the asset findings view.
How does Vulnios help with this?
Vulnios continuously cross-references your asset inventory against the live CVE feed (NVD, vendor advisories, CISA KEV, and curated OSINT). When a new CVE matches your environment, you get a prioritized finding with the severity, KEV status, exploit-prediction (EPSS), and a direct path to the vendor patch. You can start a free scan from the homepage.
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