How severe is CVE-2018-5516?

CVE-2018-5516 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2018-5516 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (24th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-5516?

CVE-2018-5516 primarily affects F5 Big-ip Local Traffic Manager. In total, 18 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-5516?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2018-5516 published?

CVE-2018-5516 was published on 2018-05-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-5516

CVE-2018-5516 is a medium-severity vulnerability in F5 Big-ip Local Traffic Manager with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.7. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-732.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.7)
CVSS v2: 4.7
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (24th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-732
Affected product: F5 Big-ip Local Traffic Manager
Published: 2018-05-02
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

On F5 BIG-IP 13.0.0-13.1.0.5, 12.1.0-12.1.2, or 11.2.1-11.6.3.1, Enterprise Manager 3.1.1, BIG-IQ Centralized Management 5.0.0-5.4.0 or 4.6.0, BIG-IQ Cloud and Orchestration 1.0.0, or F5 iWorkflow 2.0.2-2.3.0, authenticated users granted TMOS Shell (tmsh) access can access objects on the file system which would normally be disallowed by tmsh restrictions. This allows for authenticated, low privileged attackers to exfiltrate objects on the file system which should not be allowed.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-5516?: On F5 BIG-IP 13.0.0-13.1.0.5, 12.1.0-12.1.2, or 11.2.1-11.6.3.1, Enterprise Manager 3.1.1, BIG-IQ Centralized Management 5.0.0-5.4.0 or 4.6.0, BIG-IQ Cloud and Orchestration 1.0.0, or F5 iWorkflow 2.0.2-2.3.0, authenticated users granted TMOS Shell (tmsh) access can access objects on the file system which would normally be disallowed by tmsh restrictions. This allows for authenticated, low privileged attackers to exfiltrate objects on the file system which should not be allowed.
How severe is CVE-2018-5516?: CVE-2018-5516 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2018-5516 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (24th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-5516?: CVE-2018-5516 primarily affects F5 Big-ip Local Traffic Manager. In total, 18 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-5516?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-5516 published?: CVE-2018-5516 was published on 2018-05-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (18)

cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_local_traffic_manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_acceleration_manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_advanced_firewall_manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_analytics:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_access_policy_manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_security_manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_edge_gateway:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_global_traffic_manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_link_controller:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_policy_enforcement_manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_webaccelerator:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_websafe:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_domain_name_system:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_enterprise_manager:3.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-iq_centralized_management:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-iq_centralized_management:4.6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-iq_cloud_and_orchestration:1.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:f5_iworkflow:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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