Improper AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-285

CVE-2017-20238

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
Hirschmann Industrial HiVision versions 06.0.00 and 07.0.00 prior to 06.0.06 and 07.0.01 contains an improper authorization vulnerability that allows read-only users to gain write access to managed devices by bypassing access control mechanisms. Attackers can exploit alternative interfaces such as the web interface or SNMP browser to modify device configurations despite having restricted permissions.

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

Hirschmann Industrial HiVision versions 06.0.00 and 07.0.00 contain an improper authorization vulnerability where read-only users can bypass access control mechanisms to gain write access to managed devices. The vulnerability is exploitable through alternative interfaces including the web interface and SNMP browser, allowing attackers with restricted permissions to modify device configurations.

MitigationUpgrade to HiVision version 06.0.06 or 07.0.01 or later to remediate this authorization bypass. Additionally, monitor access logs for unauthorized configuration changes and restrict network access to the web interface and SNMP services.

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

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
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify if Hirschmann HiVision is installed
    Check for HiVision installation directory or application listing (typically in Program Files on Windows systems where HiVision is deployed)
    Affected if HiVision software is present on the system
  2. Determine installed HiVision version
    Locate the version information through the application's About dialog, installation directory metadata, or version file included with the software
    Affected if Version is prior to 06.0.06 or 07.0.01 (e.g., 06.0.00, 06.0.05, 07.0.00)
  3. Verify if read-only user accounts exist
    Check HiVision user configuration for accounts with read-only privileges, typically found in user management settings or configuration files
    Affected if Read-only user accounts are configured in the system
  4. Confirm web interface or SNMP service accessibility
    Determine if the HiVision web interface (HTTP/HTTPS ports) or SNMP service is reachable from network locations where read-only users operate
    Affected if Web interface or SNMP browser is network-accessible to read-only users

User is affected if running HiVision version prior to 06.0.06 or 07.0.01 AND has read-only users configured AND the web interface or SNMP service is accessible to those users.

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

Upgrade to HiVision version 06.0.06 or 07.0.01 or later to remediate this authorization bypass. Additionally, monitor access logs for unauthorized configuration changes and restrict network access to the web interface and SNMP services.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to HiVision 06.0.06 (for 06.x branches) or 07.0.01 (for 07.x branches)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Hirschmann Industrial HiVision version (06.x.x or 07.x.x)
  2. 2. For version 06.0.00, upgrade to version 06.0.06 or later
  3. 3. For version 07.0.00, upgrade to version 07.0.01 or later
  4. 4. After upgrade, verify that read-only users can no longer modify device configurations through web interface or SNMP browser
  5. 5. Confirm the upgrade by checking the HiVisionAbout/version information
Caveat Review release notes for any compatibility changes or configuration adjustments required during upgrade

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
26.0 hours of engineering $4,560
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2017-20238 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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