CVE-2013-3958
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 · uneditedThe login implementation in the Web Navigator in Siemens WinCC before 7.2 Update 1, as used in SIMATIC PCS7 8.0 SP1 and earlier and other products, has a hardcoded account, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain access via an unspecified request.
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 confidenceSiemens WinCC Web Navigator contains a hardcoded account in its login implementation that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain unauthorized access to the system. This is a classic backdoor vulnerability where credentials are embedded in the application code, bypassing normal authentication mechanisms.
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<= 8.0= 8.0<= 7.2= 7.0= 7.1CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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 if Siemens WinCC or Simatic Pcs7 is installedCheck the installed programs on the system for Siemens WinCC or Simatic Pcs7. Look in the Windows Programs and Features list or check the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Siemens\).Affected if Either Siemens WinCC or Simatic Pcs7 is installed on the system.
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Check the installed WinCC versionOpen the Windows registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Siemens\WinCC\Version or check the version info of the WinCC executable in the installation directory.Affected if The installed version is WinCC 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, or any version <= 7.2.
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Check the installed Simatic Pcs7 versionOpen the Windows registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\PCS7\Version or check version information in the Simatic Manager.Affected if The installed version is Simatic Pcs7 8.0 or any version <= 8.0.
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Verify if WinCC Web Navigator component is enabledCheck for the presence of the Web Navigator service or IIS website configuration. Look for the 'Web Navigator' service in Windows Services or check for Web Navigator virtual directories in IIS if configured.Affected if The WinCC Web Navigator service is installed and running, or the Web Navigator component is enabled on the system.
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Check for the hardcoded backdoor accountInspect the Web Navigator login configuration files or binaries for embedded credentials. This account exists in the login implementation code and bypasses normal authentication.Affected if The hardcoded account exists in the Web Navigator login implementation, which would allow unauthenticated access when the Web Navigator is accessible.
The system is affected if Siemens WinCC (7.0, 7.1, or <= 7.2) or Simatic Pcs7 (<= 8.0) is installed with the Web Navigator component enabled and accessible.
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 dataUpdate WinCC to version 7.2 Update 1 or later to receive the patch. If immediate patching is not feasible, disable the Web Navigator service or implement network segmentation/firewall rules to restrict access to trusted IP addresses only.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-3958 — 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-2013-3958 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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- 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