CVE-2023-40542 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

This article provides detailed information about CVE-2023-40542, a vulnerability affecting the BIG-IP TCP Profile in F5 products.

Understanding CVE-2023-40542

This section explains the nature of the vulnerability and its potential impact.

What is CVE-2023-40542?

The CVE-2023-40542 vulnerability is caused by enabling TCP Verified Accept on a TCP profile configured on a Virtual Server in F5's BIG-IP products. This can lead to undisclosed requests causing a surge in memory resource utilization.

The Impact of CVE-2023-40542

The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5, classified as HIGH severity. It poses a risk of high availability impact due to increased memory resource usage without requiring user interaction.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-40542

This section delves into specific technical details of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

Enabling TCP Verified Accept in a TCP profile on a Virtual Server can result in elevated memory resource usage from undisclosed requests, impacting system availability.

Affected Systems and Versions

The vulnerability affects F5 BIG-IP versions 13.1.0, 14.1.0, 15.1.0, and 16.1.0. Versions below 16.1.4 and 15.1.9 are vulnerable.

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending undisclosed requests to the Virtual Server with TCP Verified Accept enabled, leading to increased memory resource consumption.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines steps to mitigate the CVE-2023-40542 vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to disable TCP Verified Accept on affected TCP profiles to prevent unauthorized memory resource utilization until a patch is available.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement regular security updates and follow best practices for F5 product configurations to reduce the risk of memory resource exploitation.

Patching and Updates

Refer to the provided vendor advisory link for patch availability and update instructions.