CVE-2022-35868
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 · uneditedA vulnerability has been identified in TIA Multiuser Server V14 (All versions), TIA Multiuser Server V15 (All versions < V15.1 Update 8), TIA Project-Server (All versions < V1.1), TIA Project-Server V16 (All versions), TIA Project-Server V17 (All versions < V17 Update 6). Affected applications contain an untrusted search path vulnerability that could allow an attacker to escalate privileges, when tricking a legitimate user to start the service from an attacker controlled path.
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 confidenceThis is an untrusted search path vulnerability in Siemens TIA Multiuser Server and TIA Project-Server applications. An attacker can place malicious DLLs or executables in a location that the application searches for components, then trick a legitimate user into starting the service from that attacker-controlled path, resulting in privilege escalation.
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= 14= 15= 15.1= 16= 1.0= 17CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed TIA Multiuser or Project Server versionCheck the installed software version in Windows Programs and Features or look for installation directories containing 'Siemens\TIA' or check the executable version properties of 'MultiuserServer.exe' or 'ProjectServer.exe'Affected if The installed version matches 14, 15, 15.1, 16 for Multiuser Server or 1.0, 17 for Project Server
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Locate the application binary and startup directoryFind the executable path using Task Manager or by querying Windows services (sc qc) for TIA Multiuser or Project Server services, then note the working directory from which the service runsAffected if The executable is launched from a directory that users can write to or control
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Inspect the application search path for DLLsUse Process Monitor or examine the application working directory and system PATH for locations where DLLs would be loaded from, checking for any user-writable directories in the search orderAffected if User-writable directories appear earlier in the DLL search path than system directories
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Check for unexpected DLLs or executables in the application directoryList all files in the directory where the TIA Multiuser or Project Server executable is located, looking for recently added or unusual DLLs, especially those with names matching commonly hijacked system DLLsAffected if Unexpected DLLs or executables exist in the application directory that were not part of the original installation
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Review service startup configurationUse 'sc qc' command or Services.msc to examine how the service is configured to start, checking the binary path and whether it includes relative path references or depends on current directoryAffected if The service uses a relative path or depends on the current working directory being set to a user-controllable location
A user is affected if they have any of the listed TIA versions installed and the application can be started from or loads components via a directory that untrusted users can modify.
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.
dbcve · scopedRestrict the application to load only from trusted, secure paths by implementing absolute path references, removing current directory (.) dependencies, and validating all loaded components before execution. Verify the application binary location and ensure users cannot control the startup directory.
TIA Multiuser Server V15.1 Update 8; TIA Project-Server V1.1; TIA Project-Server V17 Update 6
- Identify the specific TIA Multiuser Server or TIA Project-Server version currently installed
- For TIA Multiuser Server V15: Upgrade to V15.1 Update 8 or later
- For TIA Project-Server versions prior to V1.1: Upgrade to V1.1 or later
- For TIA Project-Server V17: Upgrade to V17 Update 6 or later
- Ensure the application is launched from a trusted, non-user-controlled directory path to prevent privilege escalation
- After upgrading, verify the installation directory is not writable by unprivileged users
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation20.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-35868 — 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-2022-35868 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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- 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
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