WTF5? Unpacking the CVE-2023-46747 Vulnerability

Okay, tech aficionados, gather 'round! Have you ever tried fitting too much shopping into a bag and watched as your groceries played a game of "sardines"? Well, that's kind of how request smuggling works, but instead of squished bread and broken eggs, you get a gaping hole in your security system. Yikes!

Introducing CVE-2023-46747, a fresh-out-the-oven request smuggling vulnerability that's got IT professionals raising an eyebrow and saying, "What the F5?!" In this not-so-tasty scenario, sneaky hackers can send more HTTP requests than a kid sends wishlists to Santa, all packed in a single packet! The server, overwhelmed and confused (like most of us on Monday mornings), processes these requests in a way that was never intended.

Thanks to the keen-eyed security researchers, Thomas Hendrickson and Michael Weber from Praetorian Security, Inc., this flaw was detected on October 4th.

Hold onto your keyboards, because it gets juicier.... What’s more concerning is that this vulnerability affects the Traffic Management User Interface – the same interface implicated in the CVE-2020-5902 vulnerability.

By sending a perfectly seasoned (read: malicious) HTTP request, attackers can not only slide past authentication like they've got a VIP pass but can also start dancing on your system's command line. Imagine a hacker doing the Macarena on your server! Not a pretty sight, huh?

But fear not, dear reader, because there are ways to shield your system from these party-crashing hackers:

1. Patch it Up with F5 BIG-IP: Remember those patches your grandma used to sew onto your torn pants? Think of the F5 BIG-IP hotfix as the digital version of that. F5 has graciously released hotfixes for all the clumsy versions of F5 BIG-IP. Head over to the F5 Support website, where you can grab these patches faster than you can say, "What the F5?!"

2. Set Up a VIP Lounge with ACL: By setting up an Access Control List (ACL), you're essentially putting bouncers at the door of your F5 Traffic Management User Interface. They'll make sure only the cool folks (read: authorized users) get in, keeping those pesky hackers at bay. It's like an exclusive club where attackers can't even get past the velvet rope!

In conclusion, while CVE-2023-46747 might sound like a villain straight out of a sci-fi movie, with the right precautions, you can ensure your system remains as secure as a pickle jar that just won't open. Stay safe, stay patched, and the next time someone mentions F5, you can confidently say, "Oh, you mean 'What the F5?!'"