CVE-2017-7966
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 DLL Hijacking vulnerability in the programming software in Schneider Electric's SoMachine HVAC v2.1.0 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted system. The vulnerability exists due to the improper loading of a DLL.
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 · moderate confidenceA DLL hijacking vulnerability exists in Schneider Electric's SoMachine HVAC v2.1.0 programming software. The application improperly loads dynamic link libraries, allowing a remote attacker to place a malicious DLL in a location where the application will load it, resulting in arbitrary code execution on the targeted system.
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= 2.1.0CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Verify SoMachine HVAC versionCheck the installed version of Schneider Electric SoMachine HVAC software through Windows Add/Remove Programs, the software's About dialog, or by right-clicking the executable and viewing Properties > Details. Look for version 2.1.0 specifically.Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.1.0
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Locate SoMachine executableFind the main SoMachine HVAC executable file on the system. Common locations include C:\Program Files\Schneider Electric\SoMachine or C:\Program Files (x86)\Schneider Electric\SoMachine.Affected if The executable exists on the system and is version 2.1.0
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Check executable directory permissionsRight-click the directory containing the SoMachine executable, select Properties > Security, and verify which users have Write or Modify permissions to that folder.Affected if Users with lower privileges (such as standard users) have Write access to the directory where the SoMachine executable resides
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Inspect DLL loading behaviorUse Process Monitor from Sysinternals to capture DLL load events when launching SoMachine HVAC. Filter by the SoMachine process and observe which DLLs are loaded and from which paths.Affected if The application loads DLLs from directories writable by lower-privileged users or from the application directory itself when that directory is writable
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Identify vulnerable DLL locationsExamine the SoMachine installation directory for writable locations where a malicious DLL could be placed. Check subfolders and the main application folder for weak ACLs allowing non-admin users to write files.Affected if Any directory in the SoMachine path is writable by standard users or the application runs from a network share
A user is affected if SoMachine HVAC version 2.1.0 is installed and the application executable or its directory is writable by users with lower privileges than the application process.
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 dataUpdate SoMachine HVAC to a patched version if available. Additionally, implement secure DLL loading by using absolute paths for DLL references, enabling safe DLL search mode, and removing the application executable from directories that are writable by lower-privileged users.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-7966 — 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-2017-7966 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
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