CVE-2019-6637 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP (ASM) versions 12.1.0-14.1.0.5 allows authenticated users to abuse ASM REST endpoints, leading to system instability and potential denial of service.

Understanding CVE-2019-6637

What is CVE-2019-6637?

The vulnerability in F5 BIG-IP (ASM) versions 12.1.0-14.1.0.5 enables attackers to exploit ASM REST endpoints, causing excessive memory consumption and triggering the Linux kernel's OOM killer on random processes.

The Impact of CVE-2019-6637

Application logic abuse can lead to system instability and denial of service (DoS) attacks.
Attackers with the role of "Guest" or higher privilege can exploit this vulnerability.
Users with the access role of "No Access" are technically restricted from performing the attack.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-6637

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from the abuse of ASM REST endpoints, resulting in excessive memory usage and triggering the OOM killer in the Linux kernel.

Affected Systems and Versions

BIG-IP (ASM) 14.1.0-14.1.0.5
BIG-IP (ASM) 14.0.0-14.0.0.4
BIG-IP (ASM) 13.0.0-13.1.1.4
BIG-IP (ASM) 12.1.0-12.1.4

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers need to be authenticated users with a role of "Guest" or higher to exploit the vulnerability.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply patches provided by F5 to address the vulnerability.
Monitor system resources for any unusual memory consumption.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch F5 BIG-IP (ASM) systems to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories from F5 and apply patches promptly to secure the system.