Primary Setup ToolApplication · Siemens

CVE-2016-7165

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-11-15

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 14.0 or later.

See remediation →

66/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

A vulnerability has been identified in Primary Setup Tool (PST) (All versions < V4.2 HF1), SIMATIC IT Production Suite (All versions < V7.0 SP1 HFX 2), SIMATIC NET PC-Software (All versions < V14), SIMATIC PCS 7 V7.1 (All versions), SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 (All versions), SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.1 (All versions), SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.2 (All versions < V8.2 SP1), SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) V13 (All versions < V13 SP2), SIMATIC STEP 7 V5.X (All versions < V5.5 SP4 HF11), SIMATIC WinCC (TIA Portal) Basic, Comfort, Advanced (All versions < V14), SIMATIC WinCC (TIA Portal) Professional V13 (All versions < V13 SP2), SIMATIC WinCC (TIA Portal) Professional V14 (All versions < V14 SP1), SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional V13 (All versions < V13 SP2), SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional V14 (All versions < V14 SP1), SIMATIC WinCC V7.0 SP2 and earlier versions (All versions < V7.0 SP2 Upd 12), SIMATIC WinCC V7.0 SP3 (All versions < V7.0 SP3 Upd 8), SIMATIC WinCC V7.2 (All versions < V7.2 Upd 14), SIMATIC WinCC V7.3 (All versions < V7.3 Upd 11), SIMATIC WinCC V7.4 (All versions < V7.4 SP1), SIMIT V9.0 (All versions < V9.0 SP1), SINEMA Remote Connect Client (All versions < V1.0 SP3), SINEMA Server (All versions < V13 SP2), SOFTNET Security Client V5.0 (All versions), Security Configuration Tool (SCT) (All versions < V4.3 HF1), TeleControl Server Basic (All versions < V3.0 SP2), WinAC RTX 2010 SP2 (All versions), WinAC RTX F 2010 SP2 (All versions). Unquoted service paths could allow local Microsoft Windows operating system users to escalate their privileges if the affected products are not installed under their default path ("C:\Program Files\*" or the localized equivalent).

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This vulnerability stems from unquoted Windows service binary paths in multiple Siemens industrial automation products. When service paths contain spaces (e.g., C:\Program Files\Siemens\...), Windows attempts to execute each space-separated token as a potential executable, allowing a local attacker to place a malicious binary in an intermediate directory and achieve SYSTEM-level privilege escalation.

MitigationInstall affected products under the default path (C:\Program Files\*) or modify service configurations to use properly quoted binary paths; apply vendor-supplied patches/updates where available.

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

Primary Setup ToolApplication

Affected:all versions

Security Configuration ToolApplication

Affected:all versions

Simatic It Production SuiteApplication

Affected:all versions

Simatic Net Pc SoftwareApplication

Affected:<= 14.0

Simatic Pcs 7Application

Affected:<= 7.1

Simatic Pcs7Application

Affected:= 8.0= 8.1= 8.2

Simatic Step 7Application

Affected:<= 5.5

Simatic Step 7 $tia Portal$Application

Affected:<= 14.0

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/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 Siemens-related Windows services

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run 'sc queryex type= service state= all' to list all services, then filter for Siemens products using 'wmic service get name,displayname,pathname | findstr /i siemens'

Affected if Any service with 'Siemens' in the name or display name is found on the system
Query service binary paths for each Siemens service

For each identified Siemens service, run 'sc qc <service_name>' to view the BINPATH configuration. Check the 'BINARY_PATH_NAME' field for the executable path

Affected if The BINPATH shows an unquoted path containing one or more spaces (e.g., C:\Program Files\Siemens\... without quotes)
Check if any unquoted Siemens paths contain spaces

Manually inspect each Siemens service BINPATH from step 2. A path like C:\Program Files\Siemens\App\app.exe is vulnerable; C:\"C:\Program Files\Siemens\App\app.exe"" is not

Affected if Any Siemens service has an unquoted path that includes spaces between directory names
Verify installed product versions

Check the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\ or look in Add/Remove Programs for the specific product names listed in the affected versions (Simatic Step 7, Simatic Pcs 7, Simatic Net Pc Software, etc.)

Affected if An affected product is installed and its version falls within the ranges listed in the CVE (e.g., Simatic Step 7 <= 5.5, Simatic Net Pc Software <= 14.0)
Confirm installation path

If services are found with unquoted paths, check if the installation directory matches the default C:\Program Files\Siemens\* path by locating the actual executable referenced in the service BINPATH

Affected if The service path uses the default Program Files location but lacks quotes, combining the installation vulnerability with the unquoted path flaw

A system is affected if any Siemens industrial automation product from the CVE list is installed and its corresponding Windows service has an unquoted binary path containing spaces.

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

Remediation

From vendor data

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 14.0

Interim mitigation

Install affected products under the default path (C:\Program Files\*) or modify service configurations to use properly quoted binary paths; apply vendor-supplied patches/updates where available.

Fix this in Primary Setup Tool Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation3.0 h
Implementation6.0 h
Testing3.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

14.0 hours of engineering $2,490

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References

Primary sources

securityaffairs.coThird Party Advisory
www.securityfocus.comThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
ics-cert.us-cert.govThird Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource
cert-portal.siemens.com
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-7165 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2016-7165?

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

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 14.0 or later

Severity 6.4 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.4%

Affects: Primary Setup Tool

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Fix this in Primary Setup Tool 14 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,490

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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