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PmcApplication · Pilz

CVE-2020-12069

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.5.16.0 / 3.5.17 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
In CODESYS V3 products in all versions prior V3.5.16.0 containing the CmpUserMgr, the CODESYS Control runtime system stores the online communication passwords using a weak hashing algorithm. This can be used by a local attacker with low privileges to gain full control of the device.

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

CODESYS V3 products (versions prior to V3.5.16.0) with the CmpUserMgr component store online communication passwords using a weak hashing algorithm. A local attacker with low-privilege access can exploit this to recover passwords and gain full control of the device.

MitigationUpgrade CODESYS V3 to version V3.5.16.0 or later which implements stronger password hashing. Additionally, restrict physical and logical access to the device and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.

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
PmcApplication
Affected:>= 3.0.0, < 3.5.17
Control For BeagleboneApplication
Affected:< 3.5.16.0
Control For Empc A\/imx6Application
Affected:< 3.5.16.0
Control For Iot2000Application
Affected:< 3.5.16.0
Control For LinuxApplication
Affected:< 3.5.16.0
Control For Pfc100Application
Affected:< 3.5.16.0
Control For Pfc200Application
Affected:< 3.5.16.0
Control For PlcnextApplication
Affected:< 3.5.16.0

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:3.1/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. Identify CODESYS V3 runtime version
    Locate the CODESYS runtime installation or runtime package version. Check system info, runtime logs, or product documentation for the exact version number (for example, look in /etc/codesys3, Program Files/CODESYS, or the device's web interface).
    Affected if The installed version is prior to V3.5.16.0 (or for Pilz Pmc, prior to V3.5.17).
  2. Confirm CmpUserMgr component is present
    Inspect the CODESYS runtime configuration or component list to verify the CmpUserMgr (User Manager) component is loaded. Check runtime configuration files (for example, CmpUserMgr.cfg) or the component overview in the CODESYS Development System under 'Project' > 'Device' > 'Scan' or in the runtime's system information.
    Affected if The CmpUserMgr component is active in the runtime.
  3. Check if online communication is configured
    Review the CODESYS runtime settings for online communication options (remote login, web visualization, or network interfaces). Look for configuration entries enabling remote or online access in the device's CODESYS settings or configuration file.
    Affected if Online communication (remote access) is enabled and user passwords are stored in the system.
  4. Locate password storage files (if accessible)
    If you have file system access, search for user-related configuration or database files where passwords may be stored (for example, files in the CODESYS configuration directory containing user accounts or password hashes). Note: Do not open or analyze the hashes further, just confirm their presence.
    Affected if User management files containing password hashes are present on the system.

A system is affected if it runs a CODESYS V3 runtime version prior to V3.5.16.0 (or V3.5.17 for Pilz) with the CmpUserMgr component and has online communication enabled, as this combination allows weak password hash storage.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.5.16.0 / 3.5.17 or later
Fixed in 3.5.16.03.5.17
Interim mitigation

Upgrade CODESYS V3 to version V3.5.16.0 or later which implements stronger password hashing. Additionally, restrict physical and logical access to the device and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.

Recommended fix High confidence

V3.5.16.0 (or 3.5.17 for Pmc)

  1. 1. Identify the specific CODESYS V3 product in use (e.g., Control for Linux, Control for PFC200, etc.)
  2. 2. Check the current installed version of the CODESYS Control runtime system
  3. 3. For Pmc products: upgrade to version 3.5.17 or later
  4. 4. For all other affected products (Beaglebone, Empc A/imx6, IoT2000, Linux, Pfc100, Pfc200, Plcnext): upgrade to version 3.5.16.0 or later
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify that the CmpUserMgr component is updated and online communication passwords are now stored using a stronger hashing algorithm
  6. 6. Consider changing all online communication passwords after the upgrade to ensure the new hashing is applied

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pmc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2020-12069 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data