CVE-2018-13812
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 HMI Comfort Panels 4" - 22" (All versions < V15 Update 4), SIMATIC HMI Comfort Outdoor Panels 7" & 15" (All versions < V15 Update 4), SIMATIC HMI KTP Mobile Panels KTP400F, KTP700, KTP700F, KTP900 and KTP900F (All versions < V15 Update 4), SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Advanced (All versions < V15 Update 4), SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional (All versions < V15 Update 4), SIMATIC WinCC (TIA Portal) (All versions < V15 Update 4), SIMATIC HMI Classic Devices (TP/MP/OP/MP Mobile Panel) (All versions). A directory traversal vulnerability could allow to download arbitrary files from the device. The security vulnerability could be exploited by an attacker with network access to the integrated web server. No user interaction and no authentication is required to exploit the vulnerability. The vulnerability impacts the confidentiality of the device. At the time of advisory publication no public exploitation of this security 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 confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability exists in the integrated web server of multiple SIMATIC HMI panels and WinCC products. An unauthenticated attacker with network access can use path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../) in HTTP requests to escape the web root and download arbitrary files from the device's filesystem, potentially exposing sensitive configuration data, credentials, or other system files.
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<= 15.0<= 15.0<= 15.0<= 15.0<= 15.0<= 15.0<= 15.0<= 15.0CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the device model and firmware versionAccess the HMI panel's system information or use the TIA Portal project to look up the target device. For Comfort Panels and Ktp Mobile Panels, the firmware version is typically displayed in the 'Device info' or 'Online & diagnostics' section of the HMI's built-in web server or through the TIA Portal when connected.Affected if The firmware version is 15.0 or lower (e.g., 14.0.x, 13.x.x, etc.)
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Confirm the integrated web server is enabledIn the TIA Portal project, open the HMI device settings and verify whether the 'Web server' option under 'Services' or 'Runtime settings' is activated. Alternatively, access the HMI's built-in web interface by entering its IP address in a browser and check if pages are served.Affected if The web server feature is enabled and accessible over the network
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Check network exposure of the web serverDetermine the IP address assigned to the HMI panel and verify which network interfaces it is bound to. Use a network scanner or check the device's IP configuration in the TIA Portal to see if the web server port (typically port 80 or 443) is reachable from untrusted networks.Affected if The web server is reachable from network segments that contain untrusted or internet-facing devices
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Review firewall or access control settingsInspect any applied firewall rules, VLAN configurations, or access control lists on the network or the device itself that may restrict access to the web server ports. Check if there are rules allowing unrestricted HTTP/HTTPS traffic to the HMI panel.Affected if No firewall rules or network segmentation is in place to restrict access to trusted IP addresses only
A user is affected if they have a Simatic HMI panel or WinCC TIA Portal deployment with firmware or software version 15.0 or lower, the integrated web server is enabled, and the web server is accessible from a network where untrusted parties could send HTTP requests.
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 dataApply Siemens V15 Update 4 or later to all affected devices. If patching is not immediately possible, restrict network access to the web server via firewall rules or network segmentation to limit exposure to trusted sources only.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-13812 — 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-2018-13812 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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