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IgnitionApplication · Inductiveautomation

CVE-2022-1704

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.9.21 / 8.1.8 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Due to an XML external entity reference, the software parses XML in the backup/restore functionality without XML security flags, which may lead to a XXE attack while restoring the backup.

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 confidence

A critical XXE vulnerability exists in the backup/restore functionality where XML is parsed without security flags, allowing external entity references. Attackers can exploit this by supplying malicious XML during backup restoration to potentially read local files or perform SSRF attacks.

MitigationEnable secure XML parsing by disabling external DTDs and entity processing in the XML parser configuration (e.g., disallow DOCTYPE declarations and set secure processing features).

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
IgnitionApplication
Affected:>= 7.9.0, < 7.9.21>= 8.1.0, < 8.1.8

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Ignition installation version
    Check the Ignition version by inspecting the installation directory, gateway status page, or running: ./gwcmd --version (or check the 'About' section in the Ignition Gateway web console)
    Affected if The installed version is 7.9.0 through 7.9.20, or 8.1.0 through 8.1.7 (versions below 7.9.21 and 8.1.8 are affected)
  2. Confirm backup/restore module is present
    In the Ignition Gateway, navigate to Config > System > Backup/Restore, or check if the backup-restore module is listed in the installed modules (Config > System > Modules)
    Affected if The backup/restore functionality is enabled and accessible in the gateway
  3. Verify XML parser security configuration
    Inspect the Ignition configuration files (typically in the installation conf directory) for XML parser settings related to external entities and DTD processing. Look for any custom XML parser configurations or Java system properties that control XXE protection.
    Affected if XML parser is configured without disabling external DTDs, DOCTYPE declarations, and external entity processing (secure processing features are not enabled)
  4. Check backup file handling logs
    Review Ignition logs (in the logs directory or via the Gateway web console Logs page) for backup/restore operations. Look for any entries involving XML parsing or external entity resolution.
    Affected if Backup restore operations process XML without security restrictions, or logs indicate XML files with DOCTYPE or external entity references were processed

You are affected if your Ignition version is 7.9.0-7.9.20 or 8.1.0-8.1.7 AND the backup/restore module is in use, AND your XML parser lacks secure configuration that disables external entities and DTD processing.

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 7.9.21 / 8.1.8 or later
Fixed in 7.9.218.1.8
Interim mitigation

Enable secure XML parsing by disabling external DTDs and entity processing in the XML parser configuration (e.g., disallow DOCTYPE declarations and set secure processing features).

Recommended fix High confidence

Ignition 7.9.21 or later (7.9.x line); Ignition 8.1.8 or later (8.1.x line)

  1. Create a full backup of the Ignition system before proceeding with any upgrade
  2. Review Ignition upgrade documentation for your current version to ensure compatibility
  3. Download the fixed version: Ignition 7.9.21 or later for 7.9.x installations, or Ignition 8.1.8 or later for 8.1.x installations
  4. Stop the Ignition gateway services before upgrading
  5. Install the new version following the standard Ignition upgrade procedure
  6. Restart the Ignition gateway services after installation
  7. Verify the backup/restore functionality works correctly with the updated version
  8. Confirm the XML security flags are now properly applied by restoring a test backup
Caveat Review release notes for specific version for any breaking changes between your current and target version

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

Fix this in Ignition Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2022-1704 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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