dbcve.org
800xa SystemApplication · Abb

CVE-2020-8471

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
For the Central Licensing Server component used in ABB products ABB Ability™ System 800xA and related system extensions versions 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1, Compact HMI versions 5.1 and 6.0, Control Builder Safe 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0, Symphony Plus -S+ Operations 3.0 to 3.2 Symphony Plus -S+ Engineering 1.1 to 2.2, Composer Harmony 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1, Melody Composer 5.3, 6.1/6.2 and SPE for Melody 1.0SPx (Composer 6.3), Harmony OPC Server (HAOPC) Standalone 6.0, 6.1 and 7.0, ABB Ability™ System 800xA/ Advant® OCS Control Builder A 1.3 and 1.4, Advant® OCS AC100 OPC Server 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1, Composer CTK 6.1 and 6.2, AdvaBuild 3.7 SP1 and SP2, OPCServer for MOD 300 (non-800xA) 1.4, OPC Data Link 2.1 and 2.2, Knowledge Manager 8.0, 9.0 and 9.1, Manufacturing Operations Management 1812 and 1909, weak file permissions allow an authenticated attacker to block the license handling, escalate his/her privileges and execute arbitrary code.

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

Weak file permissions in the Central Licensing Server component across multiple ABB industrial control products (System 800xA, Compact HMI, Symphony Plus, etc.) allow an authenticated local attacker to manipulate licensing files, blocking license handling, escalating privileges to administrator/system level, and executing arbitrary code with elevated permissions.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied security patches for the affected product versions; if patches are unavailable, restrict physical and logical access to the Central Licensing Server to trusted authenticated users only and audit file permissions on license-related directories.

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
800xa SystemApplication
Affected:= 5.1
Compact HmiApplication
Affected:= 5.1
Control Builder SafeApplication
Affected:= 1.0= 1.1

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 installed ABB product version
    Check the version of ABB 800xA System, Compact HMI, or Control Builder Safe installed in your environment. Typically found in the product's 'About' section, installation directory, or Windows Programs and Features.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 5.1 for ABB 800xA System or Compact HMI, or exactly 1.0 or 1.1 for Control Builder Safe.
  2. Confirm Central Licensing Server component presence
    Locate the Central Licensing Server component in the ABB installation. This is typically installed as a separate service or module. Check Windows Services for 'ABB Central Licensing Server' or look for licensing-related executables in the product installation directory.
    Affected if The Central Licensing Server component is installed and running as a service.
  3. Inspect license directory file permissions
    Locate license-related directories, typically found under the ABB installation path (e.g., C:\Program Files\ABB\ or C:\ABB\) in folders named 'Licensing', 'License', or similar. Use Windowsicacls or PowerShell Get-Acl to examine permissions on these directories and .lic files.
    Affected if Authenticated users or non-admin groups have write or modify permissions on license files or directories.
  4. Check for overly permissive licensing service configuration
    Examine the service configuration of the Central Licensing Server using 'sc qc' or the Services console. Verify the service runs under a restricted service account and that executable paths are not writable by standard users.
    Affected if The licensing service runs under SYSTEM, LocalSystem, or an account with excessive privileges, or service binary paths are writable by low-privilege users.
  5. Review license file integrity
    Examine license files (.lic or similar) in the licensing directory for unexpected modifications, unsigned files, or files owned by non-administrator accounts.
    Affected if License files show signs of modification by untrusted accounts or contain unexpected configurations.

You are affected if you run ABB 800xA System 5.1, Compact HMI 5.1, or Control Builder Safe 1.0/1.1 with the Central Licensing Server component installed, and license directories or files have weak permissions allowing authenticated local users to modify them.

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

Apply vendor-supplied security patches for the affected product versions; if patches are unavailable, restrict physical and logical access to the Central Licensing Server to trusted authenticated users only and audit file permissions on license-related directories.

Fix this in 800xa System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
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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-2020-8471 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