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Simatic Step 7 \(tia Portal\)Application · Siemens

CVE-2018-11453

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-08-07
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) and WinCC (TIA Portal) V10, V11, V12 (All versions), SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) and WinCC (TIA Portal) V13 (All versions < V13 SP2 Update 2), SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) and WinCC (TIA Portal) V14 (All versions < V14 SP1 Update 6), SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) and WinCC (TIA Portal) V15 (All versions < V15 Update 2). Improper file permissions in the default installation of TIA Portal may allow an attacker with local file system access to insert specially crafted files which may prevent TIA Portal startup (Denial-of-Service) or lead to local code execution. No special privileges are required, but the victim needs to attempt to start TIA Portal after the manipulation.

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

Improper file permissions in the default installation of SIMATIC TIA Portal allow an attacker with local file system access to insert specially crafted files into the installation directory. These files can cause denial-of-service (preventing TIA Portal startup) or enable local code execution when the victim attempts to launch the application. No elevated privileges are required for exploitation.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied updates: V13 SP2 Update 2 or later, V14 SP1 Update 6 or later, and V15 Update 2 or later. Additionally, restrict physical and local file system access to the TIA Portal installation directory to prevent unauthorized file manipulation.

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
Simatic Step 7 \(tia Portal\)Application
Affected:= 10.0= 11.0= 12.0= 13.0= 14.0= 15.0
Simatic Wincc \(tia Portal\)Application
Affected:= 10.0= 11.0= 12.0= 13.0= 14.0= 15.0

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Locate TIA Portal installation directory
    Check common installation paths: C:\Program Files\Siemens\TIA Portal, C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\TIA Portal, or C:\Program Files\Siemens\Simatic. Also search for folders named 'TIA Portal' or 'Step 7' under Program Files.
    Affected if TIA Portal (Step 7 or WinCC) is installed on the system
  2. Identify installed TIA Portal version
    Examine the version folder name within the installation directory (e.g., V15, V14, V13, V12, V11, V10). Alternatively, right-click the main executable (e.g., Start\TIA_Portal.exe) and select Properties > Details to view the File Version.
    Affected if Version matches 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, 14.0, or 15.0
  3. Verify file permissions on installation directory
    Right-click the main TIA Portal installation folder, select Properties > Security tab. Click Advanced. Check the permissions for Users or your own account. Look for entries where 'Type' is Allow and 'Principal' includes Users or standard user accounts.
    Affected if Users or standard non-admin accounts have Write or Full Control permissions to the installation directory
  4. Confirm low-privilege write access
    As a standard (non-admin) user, attempt to create a test file in the TIA Portal installation directory, for example: echo test > "C:\Program Files\Siemens\TIA Portal\V15\test.txt". Delete the file immediately after.
    Affected if A standard user account can successfully create files in the TIA Portal installation directory without administrator privileges

A system is affected if TIA Portal (Step 7 or WinCC) versions 10.0 through 15.0 are installed and the installation directory grants Write permissions to standard (non-admin) user accounts.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied updates: V13 SP2 Update 2 or later, V14 SP1 Update 6 or later, and V15 Update 2 or later. Additionally, restrict physical and local file system access to the TIA Portal installation directory to prevent unauthorized file manipulation.

Fix this in Simatic Step 7 \(tia Portal\) Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2018-11453 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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