Simatic Process Historian 2013Application · Siemens

CVE-2021-27395

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
87/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC Process Historian 2013 and earlier (All versions), SIMATIC Process Historian 2014 (All versions < SP3 Update 6), SIMATIC Process Historian 2019 (All versions), SIMATIC Process Historian 2020 (All versions). An interface in the software that is used for critical functionalities lacks authentication, which could allow a malicious user to maliciously insert, modify or delete data.

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

SIMATIC Process Historian versions 2013 and earlier, 2014 (pre-SP3 Update 6), 2019, and 2020 contain an unauthenticated interface used for critical functionalities. This allows remote attackers to insert, modify, or delete data without credentials due to missing authentication checks on a specific interface.

MitigationImplement authentication requirements on the vulnerable interface. Restrict network access to critical Process Historian services and validate all input through authorized channels only.

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
Simatic Process Historian 2013Application
Affected:all versions
Simatic Process Historian 2014Application
Affected:all versions
Simatic Process Historian 2019Application
Affected:all versions
Simatic Process Historian 2020Application
Affected:all versions

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 Process Historian version
    Check the program version through Windows Programs and Features, or look in the installation directory for version information files. Compare against affected versions: 2013 (all), 2014 (all before SP3 Update 6), 2019 (all), 2020 (all).
    Affected if Version matches one of the affected releases listed in the CVE.
  2. Locate the Process Historian installation path
    Find the main installation directory, typically under C:\Program Files\Siemens\Process Historian or similar Siemens installation paths. Identify the web server or service components that expose the interface.
    Affected if The application is installed and exposes network services.
  3. Determine network exposure of the vulnerable interface
    Review firewall rules and network configuration to determine if the Process Historian web interface or API ports (commonly HTTP/HTTPS ports used by the application) are accessible from untrusted networks or the internet.
    Affected if The interface is reachable from networks outside the trusted environment without authentication barriers.
  4. Test interface for missing authentication
    If you can safely access the application, attempt to reach the critical data insertion/modification interface without providing any credentials. Observe whether the request succeeds or returns protected data without authentication challenges.
    Affected if The interface returns successful responses or allows data operations without requiring authentication.

You are affected if you have SIMATIC Process Historian version 2013, 2014 (pre-SP3 Update 6), 2019, or 2020 installed and the vulnerable interface is network-accessible without authentication.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement authentication requirements on the vulnerable interface. Restrict network access to critical Process Historian services and validate all input through authorized channels only.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Simatic Process Historian 2014 SP3 Update 6 or later (for 2019/2020, obtain patch from Siemens)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of Simatic Process Historian via the Siemens Industry Online Support (SIOS) portal or system documentation
  2. 2. For Simatic Process Historian 2014: Upgrade to SP3 Update 6 or later, as versions prior to SP3 Update 6 are vulnerable
  3. 3. For Simatic Process Historian 2019 and 2020: Contact Siemens customer support to obtain the appropriate patch or planned update that addresses CVE-2021-27395
  4. 4. After upgrading, verify that authentication is now required for the previously unauthenticated interface
  5. 5. Test critical functionalities to ensure the system operates correctly post-patch
  6. 6. Review Siemens security advisory for any additional required actions or configuration changes
Caveat Before applying any upgrade or patch, ensure proper backup of the Process Historian database and configuration; test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Simatic Process Historian 2013 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
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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-2021-27395 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