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Ecostruxure Machine ExpertApplication · Schneider Electric

CVE-2020-7487

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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 CWE-345: Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity vulnerability exists which could allow the attacker to execute malicious code on the Modicon M218, M241, M251, and M258 controllers.

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

This is a CWE-345 (Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity) vulnerability in Schneider Electric Modicon M218, M241, M251, and M258 PLCs. The insufficient verification of data authenticity allows attackers to potentially inject or execute malicious code on the affected controllers without proper validation of the data's origin or integrity.

MitigationIsolate affected controllers on segmented networks with strict access controls. Apply available firmware updates from Schneider Electric and implement additional authentication mechanisms for controller communications.

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
Ecostruxure Machine ExpertApplication
Affected:all versions
SomachineApplication
Affected:all versions
Somachine MotionApplication
Affected:all versions
Modicon M218 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Modicon M241 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Modicon M251 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Modicon M258 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 PLC model
    Locate the physical PLC or check engineering documentation for the controller model number. Look for Modicon M218, M241, M251, or M258 identifiers on the device label or in the project configuration.
    Affected if The controller is a Modicon M218, M241, M251, or M258 PLC.
  2. Identify engineering software
    Check installed software on the engineering workstation for Schneider Electric development tools. Look for Ecostruxure Machine Expert, Somachine, or Somachine Motion in the installed programs list.
    Affected if Any of these software platforms are used for programming or configuring the PLC.
  3. Check PLC firmware version
    Connect to the PLC via the engineering software and retrieve the firmware version from the controller properties or system information. This is typically found in the controller settings or via a firmware version query command.
    Affected if The PLC firmware version belongs to the Modicon M218, M241, M251, or M258 family (all versions are affected).
  4. Assess network exposure
    Examine the network configuration to determine if the PLC is directly accessible from the corporate network or internet. Check IP addressing, subnet masks, and gateway settings. Review firewall rules and access control lists governing communication to the PLC.
    Affected if The PLC has a directly accessible IP address on an unsegmented network without strict access controls.
  5. Verify communication protocol security
    Review the PLC communication settings and protocols in use. Check if unsigned or unauthenticated protocols are enabled for controller communications, such as Modbus/TCP without additional authentication or encryption layers.
    Affected if Unauthenticated or unsigned communication protocols are used for PLC programming or data exchange.

A user is affected if they deploy any Modicon M218, M241, M251, or M258 PLCs with Ecostruxure Machine Expert, Somachine, or Somachine Motion software, regardless of firmware version, especially if the controller is network-accessible without proper segmentation.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Isolate affected controllers on segmented networks with strict access controls. Apply available firmware updates from Schneider Electric and implement additional authentication mechanisms for controller communications.

Fix this in Ecostruxure Machine Expert Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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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-2020-7487 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