How severe is CVE-2020-5852?

CVE-2020-5852 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-5852 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (65th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-5852?

CVE-2020-5852 primarily affects F5 Big-ip Local Traffic Manager. In total, 39 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-5852?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-5852 published?

CVE-2020-5852 was published on 2020-01-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-5852

CVE-2020-5852 is a high-severity vulnerability in F5 Big-ip Local Traffic Manager with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (65th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: F5 Big-ip Local Traffic Manager
Published: 2020-01-14
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Undisclosed traffic patterns received may cause a disruption of service to the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM). This vulnerability affects TMM through a virtual server configured with a FastL4 profile. Traffic processing is disrupted while TMM restarts. This issue only impacts specific engineering hotfixes. NOTE: This vulnerability does not affect any of the BIG-IP major, minor or maintenance releases you obtained from downloads.f5.com. The affected Engineering Hotfix builds are as follows: Hotfix-BIGIP-14.1.2.1.0.83.4-ENG Hotfix-BIGIP-12.1.4.1.0.97.6-ENG Hotfix-BIGIP-11.5.4.2.74.291-HF2

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-5852?: Undisclosed traffic patterns received may cause a disruption of service to the Traffic Management Microkernel (TMM). This vulnerability affects TMM through a virtual server configured with a FastL4 profile. Traffic processing is disrupted while TMM restarts. This issue only impacts specific engineering hotfixes. NOTE: This vulnerability does not affect any of the BIG-IP major, minor or maintenance releases you obtained from downloads.f5.com. The affected Engineering Hotfix builds are as follows: Hotfix-BIGIP-14.1.2.1.0.83.4-ENG Hotfix-BIGIP-12.1.4.1.0.97.6-ENG Hotfix-BIGIP-11.5.4.2.74.291-HF2
How severe is CVE-2020-5852?: CVE-2020-5852 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-5852 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (65th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-5852?: CVE-2020-5852 primarily affects F5 Big-ip Local Traffic Manager. In total, 39 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-5852?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-5852 published?: CVE-2020-5852 was published on 2020-01-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K53590702

Affected products (39)

cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_local_traffic_manager:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_local_traffic_manager:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_local_traffic_manager:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_advanced_firewall_manager:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_advanced_firewall_manager:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_advanced_firewall_manager:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_acceleration_manager:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_acceleration_manager:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_acceleration_manager:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_analytics:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_analytics:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_analytics:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_access_policy_manager:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_access_policy_manager:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_access_policy_manager:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_security_manager:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_security_manager:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_application_security_manager:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_edge_gateway:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_edge_gateway:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_edge_gateway:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_fraud_protection_service:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_fraud_protection_service:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_fraud_protection_service:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_global_traffic_manager:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_global_traffic_manager:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_global_traffic_manager:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_link_controller:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_link_controller:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_link_controller:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_policy_enforcement_manager:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_policy_enforcement_manager:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_policy_enforcement_manager:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_webaccelerator:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_webaccelerator:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_webaccelerator:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_domain_name_system:11.5.4.2.74.291:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_domain_name_system:12.1.4.1.0.97.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:f5:big-ip_domain_name_system:14.1.2.1.0.83.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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