Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-46748 affects F5 BIG-IP management interfaces. A low-privileged authenticated attacker who can reach the Configuration utility may execute system commands. Because CISA lists it as known exploited, organizations should treat reachable management interfaces as urgent exposure.
Executive priority
Treat this as an urgent infrastructure remediation item, especially for BIG-IP devices with reachable management interfaces. Known exploitation and command execution risk can turn a compromised account into appliance-level control.
Technical view
The issue is an authenticated SQL injection in the BIG-IP Configuration utility, classified as CWE-89. F5 states network access through the management port or self IP addresses can allow arbitrary system command execution. CVSS v3.1 is 8.8 with low attack complexity and low privileges required.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where BIG-IP Configuration utility access is reachable from administrative networks, VPN users, jump hosts, or self IP paths. Public or broadly reachable management access raises urgency substantially.
Exploitation context
CISA KEV inclusion supports known exploitation. The provided SecPod reference also describes use in an active exploit chain. The sources do not provide safe evidence of scope, prevalence, or specific victim patterns.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports authenticated SQL injection leading to command execution, not unauthenticated exploitation. The bundle names affected BIG-IP branches but does not include exact fixed releases or workaround text, so validation should be anchored to F5 K000137365.
Mitigation direction
- Review F5 advisory K000137365 for fixed versions and official mitigations.
- Restrict BIG-IP Configuration utility access to trusted administrative paths only.
- Inventory BIG-IP versions 17.1.0, 16.1.0, 15.1.0, 14.1.0, and 13.1.0.
- Prioritize remediation for internet-reachable or broadly reachable management interfaces.
- Do not rely on EoTS version safety; F5 says EoTS releases were not evaluated.
Validation and detection
- Identify BIG-IP appliances and confirm software versions against F5 advisory K000137365.
- Check whether Configuration utility is reachable via management port or self IP addresses.
- Verify administrative access controls, VPN restrictions, and firewall rules around BIG-IP management.
- Review logs for suspicious authenticated Configuration utility activity and unexpected command execution indicators.
- Confirm remediation status with vendor guidance rather than assuming generic SQL injection controls apply.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-89: Database access and collection lookup
Injection into data stores can inform collection, data access, and exfiltration detection reviews. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupDatabase behavior lookup
The CVE wording references database injection or access, so collection and exfiltration review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-46748 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000137365CVE reference · vendor-advisory
- https://www.secpod.com/blog/f5-issues-warning-big-ip-vulnerability-used-in-active-exploit-chain/CVE reference
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-46748CVE reference · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.