CVE-2020-7592
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 · uneditedA vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC HMI Basic Panels 1st Generation (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions), SIMATIC HMI Basic Panels 2nd Generation (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions), SIMATIC HMI Comfort Panels (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions), SIMATIC HMI KTP700F Mobile Arctic (All versions), SIMATIC HMI Mobile Panels 2nd Generation (All versions), SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Advanced (All versions). Unencrypted communication between the configuration software and the respective device could allow an attacker to capture potential plain text communication and have access to sensitive information.
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 confidenceUnencrypted communication between Siemens SIMATIC HMI configuration software and various HMI panels (Basic 1st/2nd Gen, Comfort Panels, Mobile Panels) and WinCC Runtime Advanced allows network-based attackers to intercept plaintext traffic and access sensitive configuration and operational data.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify deployed Siemens HMI productsInventory the environment for any Siemens SIMATIC HMI devices: Basic Panels 1st/2nd Generation, Comfort Panels, Mobile Panels 2nd Generation, Ktp700f Mobile Arctic, or WinCC Runtime Advanced. Use asset discovery tools or check device nameplates/manuals.Affected if Any of the listed Siemens HMI product families are present in the environment
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Check communication protocol configurationAccess the HMI device settings or configuration software (TIA Portal) and inspect the communication properties between the configuration PC and HMI panels. Look for protocol settings such as port 443/HTTPS or port 80/HTTP. Verify whether TLS/SSL encryption is enabled for the connection.Affected if The communication is configured to use plaintext protocols (HTTP on port 80 or unencrypted port 102) instead of encrypted protocols (HTTPS, TLS)
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Inspect network traffic on HMI communication portsUse a network sniffer or packet capture tool to monitor traffic between the configuration workstation and HMI devices. Capture packets on ports used for HMI communication (typically HTTP port 80, HTTPS port 443, or PROFINET ports). Examine packet contents for plaintext data.Affected if Captured traffic shows plaintext configuration data, credentials, or operational parameters in cleartext rather than encrypted payloads
If any affected Siemens HMI product is deployed and the communication between configuration software and HMI panels uses unencrypted protocols, the environment is vulnerable to interception.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataEnable encrypted communication protocols (HTTPS/TLS) between configuration software and HMI devices, or implement network segmentation/VPN to protect the communication channel from unauthorized interception.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-7592 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-7592 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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
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