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Simatic Hmi Basic Panels 2nd Generation FirmwareOperating system · Siemens

CVE-2020-15786

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 14 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC HMI Basic Panels 2nd Generation (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions < V16), SIMATIC HMI Comfort Panels (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions <= V16), SIMATIC HMI Mobile Panels (All versions <= V16), SIMATIC HMI Unified Comfort Panels (All versions <= V16). Affected devices insufficiently block excessive authentication attempts. This could allow a remote attacker to discover user passwords and obtain access to the Sm@rt Server via a brute-force attack.

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

Siemens SIMATIC HMI panels (Basic 2nd Gen, Comfort, Mobile, and Unified Comfort) fail to properly limit authentication attempts, enabling remote attackers to perform brute-force attacks against the Sm@rt Server service and discover valid user passwords.

MitigationUpdate all affected HMI panels to V16 or later per Siemens vendor guidance. Consider implementing network segmentation and additional access controls around the Sm@rt Server until patching is complete.

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 Hmi Basic Panels 2nd Generation FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= 14
Simatic Hmi Comfort Panels FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Simatic Hmi Mobile Panels FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Simatic Hmi United Comfort Panels FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 the HMI panel model
    Access the HMI device or its management interface and determine the exact model (Basic Panels 2nd Generation, Comfort, Mobile, or Unified Comfort). Check the device label or system information in the HMI configuration software.
    Affected if The device is any of: Simatic HMI Basic Panels 2nd Generation, Comfort Panels, Mobile Panels, or Unified Comfort Panels.
  2. Check if Sm@rt Server service is enabled
    Access the HMI web server or management interface and navigate to the Sm@rt Server configuration settings. Verify whether the Sm@rt Server service is currently activated and listening for remote connections.
    Affected if Sm@rt Server service is enabled and accessible over the network.
  3. Determine the firmware version
    On the HMI device, go to System Info or Settings > System > Device Info to find the firmware version. For Basic Panels 2nd Generation, locate the firmware version displayed on the startup screen or accessed via the Control Panel > Device Information.
    Affected if For Basic 2nd Gen panels: firmware version is 14 or lower. For Comfort, Mobile, or Unified Comfort: any firmware version is affected.
  4. Verify network exposure of Sm@rt Server
    Check network configuration or firewall settings to determine if the Sm@rt Server port (typically TCP port 102 or 443) is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet. Review any port forwarding rules or DMZ configurations.
    Affected if Sm@rt Server is accessible from untrusted network segments or the internet.

Your environment is affected if you run any of the listed SIMATIC HMI panel types with Sm@rt Server enabled, particularly Basic 2nd Gen panels on firmware <=14 or any firmware version on Comfort/Mobile/Unified Comfort panels.

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 a release after 14
Interim mitigation

Update all affected HMI panels to V16 or later per Siemens vendor guidance. Consider implementing network segmentation and additional access controls around the Sm@rt Server until patching is complete.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firmware version V16 or higher

  1. Identify the exact model of the affected Simatic HMI panel (Basic 2nd Gen, Comfort, Mobile, or Unified Comfort)
  2. Check the current firmware version installed on the device
  3. Download the V16 firmware update from Siemens Industry Online Support (support.industry.siemens.com)
  4. Review the firmware update instructions and release notes for any prerequisites
  5. Back up the current device configuration if possible
  6. Deploy the V16 firmware update to the affected HMI panel using Siemens-specific update tools (such as TIA Portal or direct firmware upload)
  7. Verify the firmware update was successful
  8. Confirm the Sm@rt Server authentication behavior has been updated
Caveat Review Siemens release notes for V16 - firmware updates may require TIA Portal version compatibility and could interrupt device operation during deployment

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

Fix this in Simatic Hmi Basic Panels 2nd Generation Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,780
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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-2020-15786 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
  • 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