Threats / F5 / CVE-2023-46747
CVE-2023-46747
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
F5 BIG-IP Configuration Utility vulnerability
F5 BIG-IP Configuration Utility contains an authentication bypass vulnerability allowing unauthenticated attackers with network access to execute system commands via undisclosed requests.
Verdict
Today item, not a backlog item.
An unauthenticated attacker on the management network can bypass authentication controls and execute arbitrary system commands on BIG-IP systems. Active exploitation and ransomware deployment have been observed in the wild.
CISA KEV Yes · 2023-10-313Ransomware use Flagged3EPSS 0.96515 (verify live)4Exploit Weaponized · public PoC5
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
671 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2023-10-31), flagged for known ransomware use.
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.96515 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: F5, BIG-IP Configuration Utility. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-288 Auth Bypass via Alternate Path — weakness family: Authentication.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I gain network access to the BIG-IP management port or self IP addresses without credentials.
Business
Perimeter controls fail to prevent unauthorized access to critical infrastructure management interfaces.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I send specially crafted requests that bypass authentication checks through an alternate channel.
Business
Authentication mechanisms are circumvented, exposing the system to complete compromise.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I execute arbitrary system commands with the privileges of the BIG-IP process.
Business
Attackers gain full control of load balancing infrastructure and can pivot to protected backend systems.
4
Data at risk — exfiltration narrative 4
Attacker
I deploy ransomware or establish persistent backdoors on the compromised BIG-IP system.
Business
Critical network infrastructure is encrypted or disabled, causing service disruption and operational downtime.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05