dbcve.org
Simatic Step 7Application · Siemens

CVE-2022-46141

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 19 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 STEP 7 (TIA Portal) (All versions < V19). An information disclosure vulnerability could allow a local attacker to gain access to the access level password of the SIMATIC S7-1200 and S7-1500 CPUs, when entered by a legitimate user in the hardware configuration of the affected application.

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 local information disclosure vulnerability in SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) versions prior to V19 allows a local attacker to retrieve access level passwords entered by legitimate users when configuring hardware for SIMATIC S7-1200 and S7-1500 CPUs. The passwords are stored or handled insecurely in the application, exposing credentials that control access to industrial PLCs.

MitigationUpdate SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) to version V19 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Review and rotate any exposed S7 CPU access passwords as a precautionary measure.

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 Step 7Application
Affected:< 19

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checks

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

  1. Locate the installed TIA Portal version
    Open SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) and navigate to Help > About, or check Windows Programs and Features for Siemens SIMATIC STEP 7 Professional/Advanced entry which displays the version number
    Affected if The displayed version is earlier than V19 (for example V17, V18, or any version number less than 19)
  2. Confirm the full version number
    In Programs and Features, locate the SIMATIC STEP 7 entry and note the full version string (such as V17 Update 4 or V18 Update 2)
    Affected if The version string does not begin with 19 or higher (versions prior to V19 are affected)
  3. Check for TIA Portal Openness if installed
    If TIA Portal Openness (automation software interface) is installed, it may store configuration files; review any project files for stored CPU access credentials in plaintext
    Affected if Project files contain unprotected passwords for S7-1200 or S7-1500 CPU access levels

You are affected if SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) installed on this system is any version prior to V19, as earlier versions store CPU access passwords insecurely when configuring S7-1200 and S7-1500 hardware.

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 19 or later
Fixed in 19
Interim mitigation

Update SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) to version V19 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Review and rotate any exposed S7 CPU access passwords as a precautionary measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) V19

  1. 1. Back up all existing STEP 7 (TIA Portal) projects before making any changes
  2. 2. Download SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) V19 or later from Siemens industry online support or your existing Siemens distribution channel
  3. 3. Uninstall the current version of SIMATIC STEP 7 (TIA Portal) if upgrading from a significantly older version, or use the update mechanism if upgrading from a recent version
  4. 4. Install STEP 7 (TIA Portal) V19 or later following the installation wizard prompts
  5. 5. After installation, verify the version by opening TIA Portal and checking the version information (Help > About TIA Portal)
  6. 6. Re-open existing projects and re-enter CPU access level passwords in the hardware configuration if prompted, as the stored credentials may need to be re-confirmed in the corrected application

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

Fix this in Simatic Step 7 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.

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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-2022-46141 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