CVE-2014-5436
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 · uneditedA directory traversal vulnerability exists in the confd.exe module in Honeywell Experion PKS R40x before R400.6, R41x before R410.6, and R43x before R430.2, which could lead to possible information disclosure. Honeywell strongly encourages and recommends all customers running unsupported versions of EKPS prior to R400 to upgrade to a supported version.
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 confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability in the confd.exe module of Honeywell Experion PKS allows attackers to access files outside the intended directory using path traversal sequences (e.g., ../), potentially exposing sensitive system files, configurations, and credentials.
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>= r400, < r400.6>= r410, < r410.6>= r430, < r430.2CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 installed Experion PKS versionLocate the Honeywell Experion PKS installation and retrieve the version information from the system, typically found in the control system documentation, registry, or version info associated with the Experion software componentsAffected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: >= r400 and < r400.6, OR >= r410 and < r410.6, OR >= r430 and < r430.2
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Locate the confd.exe moduleSearch for the confd.exe file within the Honeywell Experion installation directory, typically under the Experion system folders or controllers directoryAffected if The confd.exe module exists in the installation and corresponds to a vulnerable version from step 1
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Determine if confd.exe is network-accessibleCheck the network configuration, firewall rules, or service bindings to determine if the confd.exe service is exposed to network access (TCP/UDP ports it listens on)Affected if The confd.exe service is running and bound to a network interface accessible to untrusted users
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Verify path traversal accessIf confd.exe is accessible, attempt a controlled test request using path traversal sequences (such as ../) to confirm whether the module allows directory traversal outside the intended directoryAffected if The confd.exe module responds to path traversal requests and returns files from directories outside its intended scope
The environment is affected if Experion PKS version is below r400.6, r410.6, or r430.2 (depending on product line) AND the confd.exe module is present and network-accessible, allowing path traversal requests to reach system files.
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 dataUpgrade Honeywell Experion PKS to a supported version (R400.6, R410.6, or R430.2 depending on product line) as specified by Honeywell's advisory; unsupported versions should be prioritized for remediation.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-5436 — 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-2014-5436 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
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