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Wonderware Information ServerApplication · Invensys

CVE-2013-0685

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-05-09
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
Invensys Wonderware Information Server (WIS) 4.0 SP1SP1, 4.5- Portal, and 5.0- Portal does not restrict unspecified size and amount values, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (resource consumption) via unknown vectors.

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 · moderate confidence

Invensys Wonderware Information Server versions 4.0 SP1, 4.5-Portal, and 5.0-Portal contain a vulnerability where the application fails to properly validate or restrict size and amount values in unspecified input fields. This allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to send specially crafted requests that can trigger buffer overflow conditions leading to arbitrary code execution, or cause excessive resource consumption resulting in denial of service.

MitigationApply vendor patches if available; otherwise consider upgrading to a supported version of Wonderware Information Server, implementing network segmentation to restrict access to the WIS service, and placing the application behind a properly configured reverse proxy with input validation capabilities.

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
Wonderware Information ServerApplication
Affected:= 4.0= 4.5= 5.0

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/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 Wonderware Information Server version
    Check the program's version through Windows Add/Remove Programs, the application's About dialog, or look for version information in the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Wonderware\Information Server\ or similar). The version may be displayed in the application itself or in installed component files.
    Affected if The installed version is 4.0 (particularly SP1), 4.5 (Portal variant), or 5.0 (Portal variant)
  2. Confirm the specific build or patch level
    Look for any installed service packs, patches, or updates. Check the application release notes or the Windows installed programs list for build numbers such as '4.0 SP1', '4.5-Portal', or '5.0-Portal'.
    Affected if The version shows as 4.0 SP1, 4.5-Portal, or 5.0-Portal specifically
  3. Verify network exposure of the WIS service
    Check if the Wonderware Information Server web interface or associated ports are accessible from untrusted networks. Identify the listening ports (typically HTTP/HTTPS on ports 80/443 or custom ports) and determine if firewall rules or network ACLs restrict access to authorized internal hosts only.
    Affected if The service is exposed to unauthenticated network access without proper firewall restrictions
  4. Review access controls on the web interface
    Examine the IIS or built-in web server configuration for Wonderware Information Server. Check whether authentication is required for access and whether anonymous or unauthenticated requests are permitted to application endpoints.
    Affected if Anonymous or unauthenticated access is allowed to the application's web interface
  5. Check for signs of exploitation attempts
    Review web server logs, application logs, and Windows security event logs for unusual request patterns, especially those with abnormally large parameter values, repeated requests with unusual input, or indicators of buffer overflow attempts.
    Affected if Logs show suspicious requests with oversized input values or unusual patterns consistent with overflow attempts

You are affected if Wonderware Information Server version 4.0 (SP1), 4.5-Portal, or 5.0-Portal is installed AND the service is accessible to unauthenticated remote attackers on the network.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patches if available; otherwise consider upgrading to a supported version of Wonderware Information Server, implementing network segmentation to restrict access to the WIS service, and placing the application behind a properly configured reverse proxy with input validation capabilities.

Fix this in Wonderware Information Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2013-0685 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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