Critical Steps to Protect Your Infrastructure
October 17, 2025 | Next Orbit Security Team
⚠️ MAJOR SECURITY INCIDENT ALERT ⚠️
If your organization relies on F5 BIG-IP systems, you need to act now. On October 15, 2025, F5 Networks disclosed a major security incident —one of the most significant incidents in the application delivery controller space. A sophisticated nation-state threat actor compromised F5’s internal systems, and the incident has sent shockwaves through the cybersecurity community, prompting an emergency directive from CISA.
What Happened?
F5 revealed that a nation-state threat actor gained prolonged access to its internal systems beginning in August 2025. The incident resulted in the exfiltration of highly sensitive data, including:
- Portions of BIG-IP source code
- Details on undisclosed vulnerabilities currently under investigation
- A limited subset of customer configuration data
While F5 has confirmed no evidence of supply chain tampering or impacts to customer-facing systems, the stolen information creates a significant risk. Security experts warn that attackers now possess a “roadmap” for crafting targeted exploits against BIG-IP deployments worldwide.
Why This Matters for Your Organization
This is a major security incident with far-reaching implications. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) didn’t mince words in its October 15 emergency directive, characterizing the threat as “significant” to networks nationwide. Federal agencies have been ordered to patch their BIG-IP devices immediately and report compliance by October 29, 2025.
But this isn’t just a government concern. If you’re running BIG-IP systems in your environment, you’re potentially at risk. The combination of stolen source code and vulnerability intelligence gives threat actors unprecedented insight into how to compromise these critical infrastructure components.
F5’s Response: Partnership with CrowdStrike
In response to this major security incident, F5 has announced a strategic partnership with CrowdStrike to enhance security for BIG-IP users. Here’s what’s being offered:
Free One-Year Falcon EDR Protection: All supported BIG-IP customers now receive complimentary access to CrowdStrike’s Falcon Endpoint Detection and Response sensors for one full year, along with Overwatch threat hunting capabilities. This is a significant value-add from F5 and CrowdStrike to help organizations respond to this major incident.
Current Availability: The solution is launching initially for BIG-IP Virtual Edition (VE) versions 17.1 and 17.5, with broader rollout expected in the coming months.
Enhanced Visibility: The integration provides real-time threat detection and hunting capabilities directly on BIG-IP appliances, addressing blind spots that may have existed in your security monitoring.
Critical Actions You Must Take Now
1. Patch Immediately
Apply all security updates released by F5 on October 15, 2025, covering:
- BIG-IP (TMOS)
- F5OS
- BIG-IP Next
- BIG-IQ
- APM clients
Don’t delay—threat actors are likely already weaponizing the stolen information.
2. Assess Your BIG-IP Environment
- Identify all BIG-IP devices in your infrastructure
- Determine which versions you’re running
- Remove or isolate end-of-support devices (iSeries, rSeries)
- Use F5’s iHealth tool for automated vulnerability scanning
3. Deploy CrowdStrike Falcon Sensors (Free for One Year)
If you’re running eligible BIG-IP VE versions (17.1 or 17.5):
- Take advantage of the free one-year Falcon EDR subscription
- Access the Falcon console to download sensors
- Follow F5’s installation knowledge base articles (requires myF5 login)
- Enable real-time threat detection and Overwatch threat hunting
4. Strengthen Your Security Posture
- Configure BIG-IP event streaming to your SIEM
- Implement enhanced monitoring for login attempts and configuration changes
- Review and update network segmentation
- Rotate credentials with access to BIG-IP systems
- Conduct threat hunting using F5’s published indicators of compromise
How Next Orbit Can Help
As a trusted F5 partner, Next Orbit has deep expertise in securing and optimizing BIG-IP deployments. Our team can help you:
Rapid Response Assessment: We’ll conduct a comprehensive review of your BIG-IP environment to identify vulnerabilities and ensure all systems are properly patched and hardened.
Falcon Integration Support: Our certified engineers can handle the deployment of CrowdStrike Falcon sensors across your BIG-IP infrastructure, ensuring seamless integration with your existing security stack.
Ongoing Monitoring & Management: We provide 24/7 security monitoring, threat hunting, and incident response services specifically tailored for F5 environments.
Strategic Guidance: Whether you need to upgrade from end-of-life systems or optimize your architecture for security, we’ll develop a roadmap that protects your investment while reducing risk.
Don’t Wait—Act Today
The window between vulnerability disclosure and active exploitation continues to shrink. With nation-state actors possessing intimate knowledge of BIG-IP internals, the time to act is now—not after an incident occurs.
Our security team is standing by to help you assess your risk and implement the critical protections your organization needs. Don’t let your BIG-IP infrastructure become the weak link in your security posture.
Ready to secure your F5 environment?
Contact Next Orbit today for a complimentary security assessment of your BIG-IP infrastructure.
📧 Email: [email protected]
🌐 Web: www.nextorbit.co
Next Orbit is a certified F5 partner with extensive experience in enterprise security architecture, threat mitigation, and infrastructure protection.