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Proficy Machine EditionApplication · Emerson

CVE-2021-29298

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-07-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 Input Validation in Emerson GE Automation Proficy Machine Edition v8.0 allows an attacker to cause a denial of service and application crash via crafted traffic from a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack to the component "FrameworX.exe"in the module "fxVPStatcTcp.dll".

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 input validation in the fxVPStatcTcp.dll module (FrameworX.exe) of Emerson GE Automation Proficy Machine Edition v8.0 allows a Man-in-the-Middle attacker to send crafted TCP traffic that causes the application to crash, resulting in denial of service.

MitigationImplement proper input validation on all incoming TCP traffic in the fxVPStatcTcp.dll module. Additionally, protect network communications from MITM attacks through encryption (TLS) and network segmentation to prevent unauthorized interception and traffic manipulation.

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
Proficy Machine EditionApplication
Affected:= 8.0

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/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 if Proficy Machine Edition is installed
    Check for the presence of the Emerson GE Automation Proficy Machine Edition installation directory, typically found under Program Files or Program Files (x86). Look for folders containing 'Proficy' or 'Machine Edition' in the name.
    Affected if The software is not installed or the installation cannot be located.
  2. Confirm the installed version is 8.0
    Locate the main executable or installation directory for Proficy Machine Edition. Check version information by right-clicking on the executable (such as FrameworX.exe or any main launcher), selecting Properties, and viewing the Details tab for the version number.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 8.0, as this is the only affected version listed.
  3. Verify the vulnerable fxVPStatcTcp.dll module exists
    Search the Proficy Machine Edition installation directory for the file fxVPStatcTcp.dll. This DLL is the specific module containing the vulnerability.
    Affected if The file fxVPStatcTcp.dll is present in the installation directory.
  4. Check if FrameworX.exe is present
    Locate FrameworX.exe within the Proficy Machine Edition installation folder, as this executable loads the vulnerable fxVPStatcTcp.dll module.
    Affected if FrameworX.exe exists and the application is used or can be launched.
  5. Assess network exposure
    Determine if the application is used in an environment where it receives TCP network traffic. Since the vulnerability is triggered by crafted TCP traffic, verify if the system running this software is accessible on a network where a MITM attack could occur.
    Affected if The application is network-accessible and processes TCP communications from other systems or over a network where interception is possible.

A system is affected if Proficy Machine Edition version 8.0 is installed with the fxVPStatcTcp.dll module present and the application processes network TCP traffic.

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

Implement proper input validation on all incoming TCP traffic in the fxVPStatcTcp.dll module. Additionally, protect network communications from MITM attacks through encryption (TLS) and network segmentation to prevent unauthorized interception and traffic manipulation.

Fix this in Proficy Machine Edition Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
42.0 hours of engineering $7,360
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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-2021-29298 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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