CVE-2009-0216
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedGE Fanuc iFIX 5.0 and earlier relies on client-side authentication involving a weakly encrypted local password file, which allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions and start privileged server login sessions by recovering a password or by using a modified program module.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceCVE-2009-0216 affects GE Fanuc iFIX 5.0 and earlier by relying on weak client-side authentication through a poorly encrypted local password file. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass access restrictions and initiate privileged server login sessions by recovering passwords or modifying program modules.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 5.0= 2.0= 2.2= 2.5= 2.6= 2.21= 3.0= 3.5= 4.0= 4.5CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify iFIX installation and versionCheck the installed version of GE Fanuc iFIX. Look in the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\GE Fanuc\iFIX or check the program's version information (right-click the executable, select Properties, then Details).Affected if The installed version is iFIX 5.0 or earlier, including versions 2.0, 2.2, 2.5, 2.6, 2.21, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, or 4.5.
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Locate the local password fileSearch for the iFIX password file in the installation directory, typically found as PWIFFUSR.DAT, USER.DAT, or similar user authentication files within the iFIX workspace folder.Affected if A local password file exists in the iFIX installation directory.
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Examine password file encryptionOpen or inspect the password file using a hex editor or text viewer. Check if passwords are stored in plain text, weakly encrypted (e.g., simple XOR, base64, or reversible encoding), or use outdated encryption algorithms.Affected if The password file uses weak, reversible, or no encryption (passwords are readable or easily decrypted).
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Verify client-side authentication is in useReview iFIX configuration files (such as opi files or settings in the registry) to confirm that authentication relies on the local password file rather than domain or stronger centralized authentication.Affected if Authentication is configured to use the local password file for access control.
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Check for remote access exposureReview iFIX server configuration to determine if remote or network-based login is enabled. Look for network service settings, XML or web service configurations that accept remote connections.Affected if Remote login or network access to the iFIX server is enabled.
You are affected if you are running iFIX version 5.0 or earlier and the local password file uses weak or no encryption for storing user credentials.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataTo remediate this vulnerability, it is essential to implement stronger encryption for password storage and enhance authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, upgrading to a more secure version of the software is recommended.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-0216 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-0216 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data