dbcve.org
Wincc FlexibleApplication · Siemens

CVE-2011-4509

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-02-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The HMI web server in Siemens WinCC flexible 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008; WinCC V11 (aka TIA portal); the TP, OP, MP, Comfort Panels, and Mobile Panels SIMATIC HMI panels; WinCC V11 Runtime Advanced; and WinCC flexible Runtime has an improperly selected default password for the administrator account, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain access via a brute-force approach involving many HTTP requests.

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 confidence

The HMI web server in Siemens WinCC flexible (versions 2004-2008), WinCC V11, various SIMATIC HMI panels, and WinCC Runtime products contains a default administrator account with an improperly selected (weak) password. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to perform brute-force attacks via repeated HTTP requests to guess the credentials and gain administrative access.

MitigationImmediately change the default administrator password to a strong, unique password on all affected systems. Consider disabling the HMI web server remote access or implementing network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks.

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
Wincc FlexibleApplication
Affected:= 2004= 2005= 2007= 2008
WinccApplication
Affected:= v11
Simatic Hmi PanelsApplication
Affected:= comfort_panels= mobile_panels= mp= op= tp
Wincc Runtime AdvancedApplication
Affected:= v11
Wincc Flexible RuntimeApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Siemens HMI product
    Check system for Siemens WinCC Flexible, WinCC V11, SIMATIC HMI panels, or WinCC Runtime installations. Look in Program Files\Siemens or check Windows Programs and Features for these names.
    Affected if One of the affected products (WinCC Flexible 2004-2008, WinCC V11, SIMATIC HMI panels, WinCC Runtime) is installed
  2. Verify HMI web server is enabled
    Check if the HMI web server feature is activated. This is typically configured in the HMI project's settings or in the Windows services related to WinCC/SIMATIC. For WinCC Flexible, check the 'Web Server' settings in the project. For WinCC V11, check in the Runtime settings.
    Affected if The HMI web server is enabled and accessible on the network
  3. Check administrator account configuration
    In the HMI web server settings or WinCC flexible administration, verify if the default 'Administrator' account still exists and whether its password has been changed from default. On Windows, check user accounts on systems running these products.
    Affected if The default administrator account exists with an unchanged or weak password
  4. Test remote web access to HMI interface
    From a remote system, attempt to access the HMI web server via HTTP (typically port 80 or 8080). Try accessing the login page or administrative interfaces. Attempt credential guessing attacks if the login is accessible without lockout.
    Affected if The HMI web interface is accessible remotely and accepts authentication attempts without sufficient rate limiting or account lockout

If a Siemens WinCC Flexible, WinCC V11, SIMATIC HMI panel, or WinCC Runtime product with an enabled web server has the default administrator account with an unchanged weak password, the system is affected by CVE-2011-4509.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Immediately change the default administrator password to a strong, unique password on all affected systems. Consider disabling the HMI web server remote access or implementing network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply Siemens security patch for this vulnerability; for long-term upgrade, migrate to current WinCC (TIA Portal) versions which include security fixes

  1. Change the default administrator password on all affected HMI devices immediately as an immediate mitigation
  2. Apply available Siemens security patches for this vulnerability - check Siemens Product CERT at https://www.siemens.com/cert/ for security advisories
  3. If web server access is not required, disable the HMI web server functionality
  4. Implement network segmentation to restrict access to HMI devices from untrusted networks
  5. After applying patches, verify the new administrator password meets strong complexity requirements
Caveat Before patching, back up HMI configurations; some patches may require restart of runtime services

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Wincc Flexible Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-4509 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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