dbcve.org
Simatic Pcs 7Application · Siemens

CVE-2014-8551

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-11-26
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 WinCC server in Siemens SIMATIC WinCC 7.0 through SP3, 7.2 before Update 9, and 7.3 before Update 2; SIMATIC PCS 7 7.1 through SP4, 8.0 through SP2, and 8.1; and TIA Portal 13 before Update 6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted packets.

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 WinCC server in Siemens SIMATIC WinCC (versions 7.0-7.3), SIMATIC PCS 7 (versions 7.1-8.1), and TIA Portal 13 contains a vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted network packets. This is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in the ICS/SCADA server component.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches: Update WinCC to 7.2 Update 9+/7.3 Update 2+, TIA Portal to 13 Update 6+, and PCS 7 to the latest supported versions. Additionally, network segment the WinCC server and restrict external access to minimize attack surface.

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
Simatic Pcs 7Application
Affected:= 7.1
Simatic Pcs7Application
Affected:= 7.1= 8.0= 8.1
Simatic TiaportalApplication
Affected:= 13.0
Simatic WinccApplication
Affected:= 7.0= 7.2= 7.3

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 SIMATIC products
    Check the Windows Control Panel 'Programs and Features' or use 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell for registry entries under HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Siemens to enumerate installed Siemens software. Look for WinCC, PCS 7, or TIA Portal.
    Affected if Any of the following products are installed: SIMATIC WinCC 7.0/7.2/7.3, SIMATIC PCS 7 7.1/8.0/8.1, or TIA Portal 13.0
  2. Verify WinCC server component version
    Locate the WinCC installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Siemens\WinCC) and check the version information of the WinCC executable files, or query the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\WinCC\Setup for the installed version string.
    Affected if The WinCC server component version matches 7.0, 7.2, or 7.3
  3. Check PCS 7 installation version
    Query the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\PCS7 or check the installation path for SIMATIC PCS 7, then determine the version from the setup metadata.
    Affected if PCS 7 version is 7.1, 8.0, or 8.1
  4. Confirm TIA Portal version
    Check the installed programs list or registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\TIA for TIA Portal version 13.0 specifically.
    Affected if TIA Portal version equals 13.0
  5. Assess network exposure of WinCC server
    Review Windows Firewall rules and network configuration to determine if the WinCC server ports (default: TCP 102, 80, 443) are listening on external or untrusted network interfaces.
    Affected if The WinCC server component is accessible from network segments outside the ICS/SCADA trust zone

If any of the affected Siemens products (WinCC 7.0/7.2/7.3, PCS 7 7.1/8.0/8.1, or TIA Portal 13.0) are installed AND the WinCC server component is network-accessible, the environment is affected by this CVE.

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

Apply vendor-provided patches: Update WinCC to 7.2 Update 9+/7.3 Update 2+, TIA Portal to 13 Update 6+, and PCS 7 to the latest supported versions. Additionally, network segment the WinCC server and restrict external access to minimize attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

WinCC 7.2 Update 9+ / WinCC 7.3 Update 2+ / TIA Portal 13 Update 6+ / PCS 7 latest available SP

  1. 1. Identify the specific product and version from WinCC 7.0-7.3, PCS 7 7.1-8.1, or TIA Portal 13 in your environment
  2. 2. For WinCC 7.2: Apply Update 9 or later
  3. 3. For WinCC 7.3: Apply Update 2 or later
  4. 4. For WinCC 7.0 SP3: Apply all available subsequent updates or migrate to a supported version
  5. 5. For PCS 7: Apply the latest available service pack for your version (SP5 for 7.1, SP3 for 8.0, SP1 or later for 8.1)
  6. 6. For TIA Portal 13: Apply Update 6 or later
  7. 7. After patching, verify the WinCC/PCS 7/TIA Portal services start normally and monitor for any anomalies
Caveat Patches should be backward compatible; test in non-production environment first if possible

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

Fix this in Simatic Pcs 7 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-8551 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2014-8551 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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