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Smu615 FirmwareOperating system · Abb

CVE-2021-22283

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.0.2 / 1.0.8 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Improper Initialization vulnerability in ABB Relion protection relays - 611 series, ABB Relion protection relays - 615 series IEC 4.0 FP1, ABB Relion protection relays - 615 series CN 4.0 FP1, ABB Relion protection relays - 615 series IEC 5.0, ABB Relion protection relays - 615 series IEC 5.0 FP1, ABB Relion protection relays - 620 series IEC/CN 2.0, ABB Relion protection relays - 620 series IEC/CN 2.0 FP1, ABB Relion protection relays - REX640 PCL1, ABB Relion protection relays - REX640 PCL2, ABB Relion protection relays - REX640 PCL3, ABB Relion protection relays - RER615, ABB Remote Monitoring and Control - REC615, ABB Merging Unit- SMU615 allows Communication Channel Manipulation.This issue affects Relion protection relays - 611 series: from 1.0.0 before 2.0.3; Relion protection relays - 615 series IEC 4.0 FP1: from 4.1.0 before 4.1.9; Relion protection relays - 615 series CN 4.0 FP1: from 4.1.0 before 4.1.8; Relion protection relays - 615 series IEC 5.0: from 5.0.0 before 5.0.12; Relion protection relays - 615 series IEC 5.0 FP1: from 5.1.0 before 5.1.20; Relion protection relays - 620 series IEC/CN 2.0: from 2.0.0 before 2.0.11; Relion protection relays - 620 series IEC/CN 2.0 FP1: from 2.1.0 before 2.1.15; Relion protection relays - REX640 PCL1: from 1.0.0 before 1.0.8; Relion protection relays - REX640 PCL2: from 1.1.0 before 1.1.4; Relion protection relays - REX640 PCL3: from 1.2.0 before 1.2.1; Relion protection relays - RER615: from 2.0.0 before 2.0.3; Remote Monitoring and Control - REC615: from 1.0.0 before 2.0.3; Merging Unit- SMU615: from 1.0.0 before 1.0.2.

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

Improper Initialization vulnerability in ABB Relion protection relays allows Communication Channel Manipulation. The vulnerability exists in multiple series (611, 615, 620, REX640, RER615, REC615, SMU615) across specific version ranges, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate communications to/from the protection relays.

MitigationUpdate affected ABB Relion protection relays and related devices to the specified fixed versions before the vulnerable versions indicated in the advisory.

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
Smu615 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.2
Rec615 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.0.3
Rer615 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.0.3
Evd4 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Ref615r FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Rex640 Pcl3 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.2.1
Rex640 Pcl2 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.1.4
Rex640 Pcl1 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.8

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 ABB Relion device model
    Locate the physical device label or check the device's system information to determine the exact model (e.g., SMU615, REC615, RER615, REX640, EVD4, REF615r). Confirm the specific PCL variant if the device is REX640.
    Affected if The model is any of: SMU615, REC615, RER615, REX640 (any PCL variant), EVD4, or REF615r.
  2. Determine the firmware version installed
    Access the device's web interface, management console, or use the vendor's configuration software to retrieve the current firmware version. Look for a version field in the system status or about section.
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be determined or is not yet identified.
  3. Compare SMU615 version against vulnerable range
    If the device is SMU615, check if firmware version is less than 1.0.2. Compare your installed version number to this threshold.
    Affected if Firmware version is below 1.0.2.
  4. Compare REC615 and RER615 versions against vulnerable ranges
    If the device is REC615 or RER615, check if firmware version is less than 2.0.3. Compare your installed version number to this threshold.
    Affected if Firmware version is below 2.0.3.
  5. Compare REX640 version against vulnerable ranges
    If the device is REX640, first identify the PCL variant (PCL1, PCL2, or PCL3). Then compare the firmware version: PCL1 < 1.0.8, PCL2 < 1.1.4, PCL3 < 1.2.1 are vulnerable.
    Affected if PCL1 version < 1.0.8, PCL2 version < 1.1.4, or PCL3 version < 1.2.1.
  6. Check EVD4 and REF615r status
    If the device is EVD4 or REF615r, note that all firmware versions are affected according to the advisory.
    Affected if The device is EVD4 or REF615r with any firmware version.

You are affected if you have any of the listed ABB Relion devices (SMU615, REC615, RER615, REX640, EVD4, REF615r) running firmware versions below the specified fixed thresholds, or if the device is EVD4 or REF615r at any version.

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 1.0.2 / 1.0.8 / 1.1.4 or later
Fixed in 1.0.21.0.81.1.4
Interim mitigation

Update affected ABB Relion protection relays and related devices to the specified fixed versions before the vulnerable versions indicated in the advisory.

Recommended fix High confidence

SMU615: 1.0.2 | REC615: 2.0.3 | RER615: 2.0.3 | REX640 PCL1: 1.0.8 | REX640 PCL2: 1.1.4 | REX640 PCL3: 1.2.1

  1. 1. Identify the exact ABB Relion device model and series (e.g., REX640 PCL1, REC615, SMU615, etc.)
  2. 2. Determine the current firmware version installed on the device
  3. 3. For SMU615: Upgrade firmware to version 1.0.2 or later
  4. 4. For REC615: Upgrade firmware to version 2.0.3 or later
  5. 5. For RER615: Upgrade firmware to version 2.0.3 or later
  6. 6. For REX640 PCL1: Upgrade firmware to version 1.0.8 or later
  7. 7. For REX640 PCL2: Upgrade firmware to version 1.1.4 or later
  8. 8. For REX640 PCL3: Upgrade firmware to version 1.2.1 or later
Caveat Firmware updates on protection relays require careful planning; coordinate with operations and follow ABB upgrade procedures to avoid service disruption

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

Fix this in Smu615 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,600
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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-2021-22283 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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