CVE-2016-4524
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 · uneditedABB PCM600 before 2.7 improperly stores OPC Server IEC61850 passwords in unspecified temporary circumstances, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information 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 confidenceABB PCM600 before version 2.7 stores OPC Server IEC61850 passwords insecurely in temporary storage locations during certain operations. Local users with low privileges can potentially access these plaintext or weakly protected credentials via unknown vectors related to unspecified temporary file handling.
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<= 2.6CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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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Confirm ABB PCM600 installationLocate the PCM600 installation directory - typical paths include C:\Program Files\ABB\PCM600 or C:\Program Files (x86)\ABB\PCM600. Check for the presence of pcm600.exe or related executables.Affected if PCM600 is installed on the system
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Identify installed PCM600 versionRight-click on the PCM600 executable or launcher, select Properties, then look at the Details tab for version information. Alternatively, check the version listed in Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features.Affected if The reported version is 2.6 or earlier (versions 2.7 and later are not affected)
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Inspect temporary file locationsSearch user temporary directories (Temp folder) and system temporary locations for files created during PCM600 operations. Look for files with patterns like *password*, *cred*, *opc*, or *61850* in the filename.Affected if Plaintext or weakly protected credential files are found in any temporary directory accessible to low-privilege users
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Review file permissions on credential storageFor any credential-related files found, right-click and check Properties > Security to verify what user accounts have read access. Low-privilege local users should not have read access to files containing credentials.Affected if Low-privilege users have read access to files containing OPC Server IEC61850 passwords
A user is affected if ABB PCM600 version 2.6 or earlier is installed AND insecure credential storage files exist in temporary locations with overly permissive access controls.
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 ABB PCM600 to version 2.7 or later. Additionally, restrict local access to systems running PCM600 and ensure proper file system permissions to limit exposure of any temporary credential storage.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-4524 — 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-2016-4524 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