CVE-2023-0053
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 · uneditedSAUTER Controls Nova 200–220 Series with firmware version 3.3-006 and prior and BACnetstac version 4.2.1 and prior have only FTP and Telnet available for device management. Any sensitive information communicated through these protocols, such as credentials, is sent in cleartext. An attacker could obtain sensitive information such as user credentials to gain access to the system.
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 confidenceThe SAUTER Controls Nova 200-220 Series and BACnetstac devices with firmware 3.3-006 and prior (and BACnetstac 4.2.1 and prior) only support FTP and Telnet for device management. Both protocols transmit authentication credentials in cleartext, allowing network-adjacent attackers to intercept credentials and gain unauthorized system access.
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<= 3.3-006<= 3.3-006<= 3.3-006<= 3.3-006<= 3.3-006<= 4.2.1CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify device model and firmware versionAccess the device management interface or check the device label/nameplate to determine the exact model (e.g., Nova 220 Eyk220f001, Nova 230 Eyk230f001, Nova 106 Eyk300f001, Modunet300 Ey Am300f001/f002, or BACnetstac). Query the device's web interface, console, or management software for the installed firmware version.Affected if The device model matches one of the affected products AND the firmware version is 3.3-006 or lower (for Nova/Modunet devices) or 4.2.1 or lower (for BACnetstac).
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Verify FTP service is enabled on the deviceCheck the device configuration or attempt to connect to the device on TCP port 21 (FTP default port) from an authorized management station. Review the device's service settings or network configuration to confirm FTP is actively enabled.Affected if FTP service is enabled and accessible on the device, allowing authentication credentials to be transmitted in cleartext.
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Verify Telnet service is enabled on the deviceCheck the device configuration or attempt to connect to the device on TCP port 23 (Telnet default port) from an authorized management station. Review the device's service settings or network configuration to confirm Telnet is actively enabled.Affected if Telnet service is enabled and accessible on the device, allowing authentication credentials to be transmitted in cleartext.
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Confirm management interface accessibilityFrom a network-adjacent position (same network segment), verify whether the FTP (port 21) or Telnet (port 23) management interfaces are reachable. This may require authorized network scanning or checking firewall/ACL configurations that permit or block these services.Affected if FTP or Telnet management interfaces are network-accessible, meaning an attacker on the same network could intercept cleartext credentials.
A user is affected if they have a Sauter Controls Nova or BACnetstac device running the vulnerable firmware versions AND have FTP or Telnet services enabled and accessible for device management, as these cleartext protocols allow credential interception by network-adjacent attackers.
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.
From vendor dataReplace cleartext protocols (FTP/Telnet) with secure alternatives (SFTP, SSH, HTTPS). If the vendor has released patched firmware, update to the latest version. Implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict management interface exposure until secure protocols are deployed.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-0053 — 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-2023-0053 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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