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Simatic Wincc Oa UiApplication · Siemens

CVE-2018-4844

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-03-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.15.10 or later.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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 WinCC OA UI for Android (All versions < V3.15.10), SIMATIC WinCC OA UI for iOS (All versions < V3.15.10). Insufficient limitation of CONTROL script capabilities could allow read and write access from one HMI project cache folder to other HMI project cache folders within the app's sandbox on the same mobile device. This includes HMI project cache folders of other configured WinCC OA servers. The security vulnerability could be exploited by an attacker who tricks an app user to connect to an attacker-controlled WinCC OA server. Successful exploitation requires user interaction and read/write access to the app's folder on a mobile device. The vulnerability could allow reading data from and writing data to the app's folder. At the time of advisory publication no public exploitation of this security vulnerability was known. Siemens confirms the security vulnerability and provides mitigations to resolve the security issue.

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

The vulnerability exists in the CONTROL script execution environment of SIMATIC WinCC OA mobile UI apps (iOS and Android). Insufficient sandboxing allows CONTROL scripts running in one HMI project cache folder to access, read, and write files in other HMI project cache folders within the app's sandbox, including folders belonging to other configured WinCC OA servers. An attacker can exploit this by tricking a user to connect to a malicious server.

MitigationUpgrade SIMATIC WinCC OA UI for Android and iOS to version V3.15.10 or later to receive the patched CONTROL script sandboxing. Review connected servers and monitor for connections to untrusted WinCC OA servers.

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 Wincc Oa UiApplication
Affected:< 3.15.10

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify if WinCC OA mobile UI is installed
    On Android: Check Settings > Apps for 'SIMATIC WinCC OA UI' or 'WinCC OA UI'. On iOS: Check Settings > General > iPhone Storage for 'WinCC OA UI' or 'SCADA WinCC OA' in the installed apps list.
    Affected if The app is present on the device
  2. Check the installed version of WinCC OA UI
    On Android: Go to Settings > Apps > WinCC OA UI > App info > Version. On iOS: Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > WinCC OA UI to view the version number.
    Affected if The version number displayed is lower than 3.15.10 (for example, 3.15.0, 3.14.x, or any version < 3.15.10)
  3. Confirm the app has connected to at least one WinCC OA server
    Review the app's server configuration list or connection history. On Android: Check within the app under Servers or Connections settings. On iOS: Look for saved server profiles in the app's data.
    Affected if The device has ever connected to any WinCC OA server, creating project cache folders that could be accessed by a malicious server's CONTROL scripts
  4. Check for presence of multiple project cache folders
    Use a file manager on Android (with root access) or iOS (via iTunes file sharing if enabled) to examine the app's sandbox directory structure. Look for folders under the app's internal storage that correspond to different server projects.
    Affected if Multiple server project folders exist in the app's sandbox, indicating multiple servers were configured and are vulnerable to cross-folder access by unsandboxed CONTROL scripts

You are affected if the WinCC OA mobile UI app is installed with a version lower than 3.15.10 and has been used to connect to at least one WinCC OA server, as the insufficient sandboxing allows malicious CONTROL scripts to access files across different project cache folders.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.15.10 or later
Fixed in 3.15.10
Interim mitigation

Upgrade SIMATIC WinCC OA UI for Android and iOS to version V3.15.10 or later to receive the patched CONTROL script sandboxing. Review connected servers and monitor for connections to untrusted WinCC OA servers.

Fix this in Simatic Wincc Oa Ui 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-2018-4844 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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