CVE-2017-7574
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 · uneditedSchneider Electric SoMachine Basic 1.4 SP1 and Schneider Electric Modicon TM221CE16R 1.3.3.3 devices have a hardcoded-key vulnerability. The Project Protection feature is used to prevent unauthorized users from opening an XML protected project file, by prompting the user for a password. This XML file is AES-CBC encrypted; however, the key used for encryption (SoMachineBasicSoMachineBasicSoMa) cannot be changed. After decrypting the XML file with this key, the user password can be found in the decrypted data. After reading the user password, the project can be opened and modified with the Schneider product.
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 confidenceSchneider Electric SoMachine Basic and Modicon TM221CE16R devices contain a hardcoded AES-CBC encryption key (SoMachineBasicSoMachineBasicSoMa) used to protect XML project files via the Project Protection feature. Attackers can decrypt these files using the static key to recover user passwords, then open and modify the project without authorization.
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= 1.3.3.3= 1.4CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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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Identify SoMachine Basic installationCheck system for SoMachine Basic software installation and note the installed versionAffected if SoMachine Basic version 1.4 or earlier is installed
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Identify Modicon TM221CE16R controllersInventory network or enumerate devices for Modicon TM221CE16R controllers and check their firmware versionAffected if Modicon TM221CE16R with firmware version 1.3.3.3 is in use
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Check for Project Protection usageLocate XML project files (.smbp or similar project file extensions used by SoMachine) and inspect whether they are protected via the Project Protection featureAffected if XML project files are protected using the Project Protection feature
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Verify hardcoded key presenceExamine protected project files for the hardcoded AES key string 'SoMachineBasicSoMachineBasicSoMa' or attempt to decrypt a backup to confirm the static key is in useAffected if Protected project files use the hardcoded AES-CBC key for encryption
You are affected if you use SoMachine Basic v1.4 or earlier, or Modicon TM221CE16R firmware 1.3.3.3, and have XML project files protected with the Project Protection feature that relies on the hardcoded AES key.
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 dataSince the encryption weakness is intrinsic to the product design, prioritize compensating controls: isolate affected systems on restricted networks, enforce physical access restrictions, and audit file access for unauthorized modifications. Contact Schneider Electric for vendor-supplied security updates.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-7574 — 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-2017-7574 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