CVE-2021-22986
F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IQ Centralized Management iControl REST Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- Critical 9.8
- Exploited: added to CISA KEV 3 Nov 2021
- Used in ransomware campaigns
Description
On BIG-IP versions 16.0.x before 16.0.1.1, 15.1.x before 15.1.2.1, 14.1.x before 14.1.4, 13.1.x before 13.1.3.6, and 12.1.x before 12.1.5.3 amd BIG-IQ 7.1.0.x before 7.1.0.3 and 7.0.0.x before 7.0.0.2, the iControl REST interface has an unauthenticated remote command execution vulnerability. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Software Development (EoSD) are not evaluated.
Key facts
- Published
- 31 Mar 2021
- Last changed
- 21 Oct 2025
- Assigned by
- f5
- KEV added
- 3 Nov 2021
- KEV fix due
- 17 Nov 2021
- Used in ransomware
- Yes, according to CISA
- EPSS
- 99.898% likely to be exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 99.966% of CVEs (scores for 15 Nov 2026)
- SSVC (CISA)
- Exploitation: active; Automatable: yes; Technical impact: total
Severity scores
Each score is shown as its source gave it. They are not averaged or merged.
- 9.8CVSS 3.1, Criticalfrom CISA (ADP container)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
What to do
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.CISA KEV required action
Historical context and remediation
This reference retains the original CVE publication date. A recent record update does not mean a new attack occurred.
No separately sourced impact summary is available on this page yet. Consult the description, version data and dated exploitation evidence.
Version statuses below come from the CNA. An “unaffected” version is not necessarily a currently supported release or proof of a patch date. EPSS is a dated risk estimate, not a count of historical attacks.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| n/a | BIG-IP; BIG-IQ |
|
Timeline
- 31 Mar 2021 Published
- 3 Nov 2021 CVE-2021-22986 added to CISA KEV
- 3 Nov 2021 Added to the CISA KEV catalogue