CVE-2021-22780
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 · uneditedInsufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability exists in EcoStruxure Control Expert (all versions prior to V15.0 SP1, including all versions of Unity Pro), EcoStruxure Process Expert (all versions, including all versions of EcoStruxure Hybrid DCS), and SCADAPack RemoteConnect for x70, all versions, that could cause unauthorized access to a project file protected by a password when this file is shared with untrusted sources. An attacker may bypass the password protection and be able to view and modify a project file.
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 confidenceInsufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability in EcoStruxure Control Expert, EcoStruxure Process Expert, and SCADAPack RemoteConnect allows attackers to bypass password protection on project files, enabling unauthorized viewing and modification of sensitive industrial automation project files.
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< 15.0= 15.0all 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 installed Schneider Electric industrial softwareCheck Programs and Features (Windows) or the installation directory for EcoStruxure Control Expert, EcoStruxure Process Expert, or SCADAPack RemoteConnectAffected if Any of these three products are installed
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Check EcoStruxure Control Expert versionOpen the application and navigate to Help > About, or check the version in the installation folder (typically C:\Program Files\Schneider Electric\EcoStruxure Control Expert\) and locate the version file or executable propertiesAffected if Version is less than 15.0 or exactly 15.0
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Check EcoStruxure Process Expert versionOpen the application and navigate to Help > About, or locate the installation folder (typically under Program Files\Schneider Electric\) and check version propertiesAffected if Any version is installed (all versions are affected)
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Check SCADAPack RemoteConnect versionOpen the application and navigate to Help > About, or locate the installation folder and check version properties of the executableAffected if Any version is installed (all versions are affected)
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Verify project file password protection statusAttempt to open a protected project file or check the project file security settings within the application to confirm password protection is in useAffected if Password-protected project files exist in the environment (these could be viewable/modifiable by attackers)
If EcoStruxure Control Expert version is < 15.0 or equals 15.0, OR if EcoStruxure Process Expert or SCADAPack RemoteConnect of any version are installed, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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 data15.0
Upgrade EcoStruxure Control Expert to V15.0 SP1 or later; for other affected products, contact Schneider Electric for patches. Avoid sharing project files with untrusted sources until patched.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22780 — 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-2021-22780 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data