CVE-2016-9160
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 vulnerability in SIEMENS SIMATIC WinCC (All versions < SIMATIC WinCC V7.2) and SIEMENS SIMATIC PCS 7 (All versions < SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 SP1) could allow a remote attacker to crash an ActiveX component or leak parts of the application memory if a user is tricked into clicking on a malicious link under certain conditions.
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 confidenceThis is an ActiveX component vulnerability in Siemens SIMATIC WinCC and SIMATIC PCS 7 industrial control software. A remote attacker can cause the ActiveX component to crash or leak portions of application memory by tricking a user into clicking a malicious link. This is a client-side attack requiring user interaction.
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<= 8.0<= 7.1CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
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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Verify SIMATIC WinCC installation and versionCheck the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\WinCC\Version or look for the WinCC installation directory and locate the version information file (typically in the WinCC folder or via 'wincc.exe /version')Affected if The installed version is 7.1 or earlier (7.0, 7.0 SP1, 7.0 SP2, 7.0 SP3, or 7.1)
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Verify SIMATIC PCS 7 installation and versionCheck the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\PCS7\Version or locate the PCS 7 installation directory and find version information in the installation manifest or about dialogAffected if The installed version is 8.0 or earlier (7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 8.0)
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Confirm ActiveX component presenceCheck for the presence of the vulnerable ActiveX component (typically 'Siemens WinCC ActiveX' controls) in the Windows registry under HKCR\CLSID or by viewing installed ActiveX controls in Internet Explorer (Tools > Manage Add-ons)Affected if The specific WinCC ActiveX controls are registered and present on the system
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Check if Internet Explorer ActiveX controls are enabledOpen Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, and verify the ActiveX settings; or check the registry keys under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZonesAffected if ActiveX controls are set to Enabled or Prompt for the relevant security zone (especially the Internet zone)
A user is affected if they have SIMATIC WinCC version 7.1 or earlier, or SIMATIC PCS 7 version 8.0 or earlier, with the WinCC ActiveX component present and enabled in their environment.
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 SIMATIC WinCC to V7.2 or later and SIMATIC PCS 7 to V8.0 SP1 or later. Additionally, educate users about not clicking untrusted links to reduce attack surface.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-9160 — 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-2016-9160 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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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.
- 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