CVE-2018-13805
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 has been identified in SIMATIC ET 200SP Open Controller (All versions >= V2.0 and < V2.1.6), SIMATIC S7-1500 Software Controller (All versions >= V2.0 and < V2.5), SIMATIC S7-1500 incl. F (All versions >= V2.0 and < V2.5). An attacker can cause a denial-of-service condition on the network stack by sending a large number of specially crafted packets to the PLC. The PLC will lose its ability to communicate over the network. This vulnerability could be exploited by an attacker with network access to the affected systems. Successful exploitation requires no privileges and no user interaction. An attacker could use this vulnerability to compromise availability of the network connectivity. At the time of advisory publication no public exploitation of this vulnerability was known.
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 confidenceDenial-of-service vulnerability in the network stack of SIMATIC S7-1500 and ET 200SP Open Controllers. An attacker with network access can send specially crafted packets to cause the PLC to lose all network communication capability, disrupting industrial operations.
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>= 2.0>= 2.0, < 2.5>= 2.0, < 2.5CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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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Identify the PLC device modelAccess the PLC via TIA Portal, SIMATIC Manager, or physically check the device labeling to determine if it is a SIMATIC S7-1500, S7-1500F, or ET 200SP Open Controller.Affected if The device is a SIMATIC S7-1500, S7-1500F, or ET 200SP Open Controller.
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Retrieve the firmware versionIn TIA Portal, go to the device properties and check the firmware version under 'General' > 'Device information'. Alternatively, use the device's built-in web server or access via SIMATIC Manager to view firmware details.Affected if The installed firmware version matches the affected ranges: ET 200SP >= 2.0, or S7-1500/S7-1500F >= 2.0 and < 2.5.
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Verify network exposure of the PLCReview network architecture diagrams or use network scanning tools to determine if the PLC management or industrial network port is directly accessible from untrusted networks or the enterprise IT network.Affected if The PLC has direct network accessibility from outside the trusted industrial zone.
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Check for network communication loss indicatorsReview PLC health logs, network monitoring systems, or operator HMI screens for incidents where the PLC lost all network communication capability.Affected if The PLC has experienced unexplained complete loss of network communication, as this vulnerability causes total network stack failure when exploited.
You are affected if your environment contains a SIMATIC S7-1500, S7-1500F, or ET 200SP with firmware version between V2.0 and the patched versions (V2.5 for S7-1500, V2.1.6 for ET 200SP) and the device is network-accessible to potential attackers.
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 data2.5
Upgrade SIMATIC ET 200SP to version V2.1.6 or higher, and upgrade SIMATIC S7-1500 (including F variants) to version V2.5 or higher. Apply within planned maintenance windows following Siemens operational guidelines.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2018-13805 — 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-2018-13805 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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