Simatic BatchApplication · Siemens

CVE-2016-5743

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-07-22

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.2 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Siemens SIMATIC WinCC before 7.3 Update 10 and 7.4 before Update 1, SIMATIC BATCH before 8.1 SP1 Update 9 as distributed in SIMATIC PCS 7 through 8.1 SP1, SIMATIC OpenPCS 7 before 8.1 Update 3 as distributed in SIMATIC PCS 7 through 8.1 SP1, SIMATIC OpenPCS 7 before 8.2 Update 1 as distributed in SIMATIC PCS 7 8.2, and SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional before 13 SP1 Update 9 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted packets.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Critical remote code execution vulnerability in Siemens SIMATIC WinCC and related ICS software. Attackers can send specially crafted network packets to the affected systems to execute arbitrary code without authentication.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates: WinCC 7.3 Update 10 or later, WinCC 7.4 Update 1 or later, WinCC Runtime Professional 13 SP1 Update 9 or later, and corresponding updates for SIMATIC BATCH and OpenPCS 7. Network segmentation and restricting access to ICS networks should be implemented as compensating controls until patching is complete.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Simatic BatchApplication

Affected:<= 7.1

Simatic WinccApplication

Affected:<= 7.3<= 7.4

Simatic Openpcs 7Application

Affected:<= 8.1<= 8.2

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify installed Siemens SIMATIC software

Check the system for installed Siemens SIMATIC products. Look for directories like C:\Program Files\Siemens\WinCC or C:\Program Files\Siemens\SIMATIC_BATCH. Also check Windows Programs and Features for entries containing 'WinCC', 'SIMATIC Batch', or 'OpenPCS'.

Affected if Any of the affected products (WinCC, SIMATIC Batch, or OpenPCS 7) are installed on the system
Determine the installed WinCC version

Open the WinCC Explorer or navigate to the WinCC installation directory. The version information is typically stored in the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Siemens\WinCC\Version or can be found in the About dialog within WinCC Explorer.

Affected if The installed version is WinCC 7.3 any patch level before Update 10, or WinCC 7.4 any patch level before Update 1
Determine the installed SIMATIC Batch version

Check the installed SIMATIC Batch version via Windows Programs and Features, or locate the batch software in the installation directory and check the version information in the program's properties or about dialog.

Affected if SIMATIC Batch version 7.1 or lower is installed
Determine the installed OpenPCS 7 version

Check the installed OpenPCS 7 version via Windows Programs and Features, or locate the OpenPCS 7 installation directory and check the version information in the program's properties or about dialog.

Affected if OpenPCS 7 version 8.1 or 8.2 is installed (any patch level within these major.minor versions)
Verify if WinCC Runtime services are active

Open Windows Services and check if 'WinCC Runtime' or related SIMATIC services are running. Also check if port 102 (ISO-TSAP) or other ICS protocol ports are listening, as these are used by the vulnerable component.

Affected if The vulnerable WinCC software is installed AND the WinCC Runtime services are running and exposed on the network

The environment is affected if Siemens WinCC 7.3 before Update 10, WinCC 7.4 before Update 1, SIMATIC Batch 7.1 or lower, or OpenPCS 7 versions 8.1-8.2 are installed and the software is operational on the network.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.2

Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied updates: WinCC 7.3 Update 10 or later, WinCC 7.4 Update 1 or later, WinCC Runtime Professional 13 SP1 Update 9 or later, and corresponding updates for SIMATIC BATCH and OpenPCS 7. Network segmentation and restricting access to ICS networks should be implemented as compensating controls until patching is complete.

Recommended fix High confidence

SIMATIC WinCC 7.3 Update 10+ / 7.4 Update 1+; SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional 13 SP1 Update 9+; SIMATIC BATCH 8.1 SP1 Update 9+; SIMATIC OpenPCS 7 8.1 Update 3+ or 8.2 Update 1+

Obtain the latest security patches from Siemens Product CERT at https://www.siemens.com/cert/vulnerability-reports or contact Siemens customer support
For SIMATIC WinCC 7.3: Upgrade to version 7.3 Update 10 or later
For SIMATIC WinCC 7.4: Upgrade to version 7.4 Update 1 or later
For SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional 13: Upgrade to 13 SP1 Update 9 or later
For SIMATIC BATCH (distributed in PCS 7): Upgrade to version 8.1 SP1 Update 9 or later
For SIMATIC OpenPCS 7 (distributed in PCS 7): If using version 8.1, upgrade to Update 3 or later; if using version 8.2, upgrade to Update 1 or later
After patching, verify the systems are functioning correctly and monitor for any anomalies
Implement network segmentation to isolate ICS/OT systems from untrusted networks as a defense-in-depth measure

Caveat Major version upgrades in industrial control systems may require extensive testing and validation in a non-production environment before deployment; coordinate with operations team for maintenance windows

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

Fix this in Simatic Batch Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation12.0 h
Implementation8.0 h
Testing16.0 h
Review / QA6.0 h

42.0 hours of engineering $7,320

Get the upgrade done

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

www.siemens.comMitigationVendor Advisory
www.securityfocus.comThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.securitytracker.comThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
ics-cert.us-cert.gov
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-5743 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2016-5743?

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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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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 8.2 or later

Severity 9.8 Critical

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 10.5%

Affects: Simatic Batch

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Simatic Batch 42 hrs · High

Typical engagement from $7,320

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2016-5743 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References