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Pi Data ArchiveApplication · Osisoft

CVE-2018-7533

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-03-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2017 or later.
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
An Incorrect Default Permissions issue was discovered in OSIsoft PI Data Archive versions 2017 and prior. Insecure default configuration may allow escalation of privileges that gives the actor full control over the system.

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 confidence

The vulnerability stems from insecure default file and folder permissions in OSIsoft PI Data Archive 2017 and prior versions. These permissive default ACLs allow unprivileged local users to modify critical application files, services, or configuration, enabling privilege escalation to full system control.

MitigationRestrict default permissions on PI Data Archive installation directories, services, and registry keys to follow least-privilege principles—ensure only administrator/privileged accounts have write access to sensitive components.

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
Pi Data ArchiveApplication
Affected:<= 2017= 2017

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. Verify PI Data Archive installation
    Check for the presence of OSIsoft PI Data Archive by looking for its installation directory (commonly under C:\Program Files\OSIsoft\PI or C:\Program Files (x86)\OSIsoft\PI) or by querying Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\OSIsoft for PI Data Archive entries.
    Affected if PI Data Archive is found on the system in version 2017 or earlier.
  2. Confirm installed version
    Retrieve the exact version number of the PI Data Archive installation. Query the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\OSIsoft\PI or examine version information in the PI Data Archive binary files (such as pisrv.exe or related DLLs) within the installation directory.
    Affected if The installed version is 2017 or any version prior to 2017.
  3. Inspect installation folder permissions
    Open the properties of the PI Data Archive installation folder, go to the Security tab, and review the Access Control List (ACL). Check which users and groups have Write or Modify permissions on the directory and its subfolders.
    Affected if Non-privileged users or the Users group have Write or Modify access to the PI Data Archive installation directory.
  4. Inspect PI Data Archive service permissions
    Open Services (services.msc), locate the PI Data Archive related services (such as PI Data Archive or PI Network Archive), right-click and go to Properties, then check the Log On tab and verify which accounts have write access to the service executable and configuration.
    Affected if Non-privileged users have permissions to modify the service executable or service configuration.
  5. Inspect registry key permissions
    Open Registry Editor, navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\OSIsoft (and relevant PI subkeys), right-click the key, select Permissions, and review which users have Full Control or Write access.
    Affected if Non-privileged users or the Users group have Write or Full Control permissions on the OSIsoft PI registry keys.

A system is affected if PI Data Archive version 2017 or earlier is installed AND non-privileged local users have Write or Modify permissions on the installation directory, services, or registry keys.

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 a release after 2017
Interim mitigation

Restrict default permissions on PI Data Archive installation directories, services, and registry keys to follow least-privilege principles—ensure only administrator/privileged accounts have write access to sensitive components.

Fix this in Pi Data Archive Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2018-7533 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

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