CVE-2020-8473
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 · uneditedInsufficient folder permissions used by system functions in ABB System 800xA Base (version 6.1 and earlier) allow low privileged users to read, modify, add and delete system and application files. An authenticated attacker who successfully exploit the vulnerabilities could escalate his/her privileges, cause system functions to stop and to corrupt user applications.
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 confidenceABB System 800xA Base versions 6.1 and earlier contain insufficient folder permissions in system functions, allowing authenticated low-privileged users to read, modify, add, and delete system and application files. This permission misconfiguration enables privilege escalation, denial of system functions, and corruption of user applications.
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<= 6.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if ABB 800xA Base is installedCheck installed programs in Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or review program directories for ABB 800xA Base installation foldersAffected if ABB 800xA Base software is found on the system
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Determine the installed version of ABB 800xA BaseOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, locate ABB 800xA Base in the list, and note the version column; or check the About/Version information within the ABB 800xA Base application if accessibleAffected if The installed version is 6.1 or any version lower than 6.1 (e.g., 6.0, 5.x, etc.)
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Identify system folders used by ABB 800xA BaseLocate the installation directory for ABB 800xA Base (commonly under C:\Program Files\ABB or C:\ABB in default installations) and identify folders containing system and application filesAffected if ABB 800xA Base is installed and uses system folders for its operations
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Check folder permissions on ABB system directoriesRight-click the ABB installation folders, select Properties > Security tab, or run 'icacls [folder_path]' from command prompt to view permission entries; examine which users and groups have access and what level of access they possessAffected if Authenticated low-privileged users (non-administrators) have Read, Write, Modify, or Full Control permissions on system folders rather than being restricted to Administrators only
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Verify if low-privileged users can modify system filesUsing a test low-privileged user account, attempt to create, modify, or delete files within the ABB system folders identified in step 3Affected if Low-privileged users successfully create, modify, or delete files in system directories
The environment is affected if ABB 800xA Base version 6.1 or earlier is installed AND low-privileged authenticated users have elevated permissions (Read, Write, Modify, or Full Control) on system folders used by the application.
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 dataImplement proper NTFS/share permissions on system folders to restrict access to authorized administrators only, and upgrade to a patched version if available from ABB.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8473 — 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-2020-8473 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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