CVE-2023-0457
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 · uneditedPlaintext Storage of a Password vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric Corporation MELSEC iQ-F Series, MELSEC iQ-R Series, MELSEC-Q Series and MELSEC-L Series allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to disclose plaintext credentials stored in project files and login into FTP server or Web server.
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 confidencePasswords are stored in plaintext within project files for Mitsubishi MELSEC iQ-F, iQ-R, Q, and L Series PLCs. An unauthenticated remote attacker can obtain these project files and extract the plaintext credentials, then use them to authenticate to the device's FTP or web server.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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 PLC model and firmware versionConnect to the PLC via GX Works3 or access the device's system information to retrieve the exact model number and firmware version. Check the nameplate or product documentation for the series (iQ-F, iQ-R, Q, or L).Affected if The model is one of the FX5UC variants listed (32mr/ds, 32mt/d, 32mt/dss, 64mt/d, 64mt/dss, 96mt/d) or belongs to iQ-F, iQ-R, Q, or L Series, with any firmware version.
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Locate and inspect project filesLocate the MELSEC project files (.gx3, .gxw, or associated project folders) stored on the engineering workstation or in backup locations. Open the project file in a text editor or examine the file structure for configuration sections related to passwords or credentials.Affected if Project files contain plaintext passwords in any password-related configuration sections (for FTP, web server, CPU password, or module passwords).
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Verify FTP server is enabledCheck the PLC or project configuration for FTP server settings. In GX Works3, navigate to the PLC parameter settings and verify if the built-in FTP server is configured and enabled.Affected if FTP server is enabled and the project file contains plaintext credentials that would be used for FTP authentication.
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Verify web server is enabledCheck the PLC or project configuration for web server settings. In GX Works3, navigate to the web server parameter settings and verify if the built-in web server is configured and enabled.Affected if Web server is enabled and the project file contains plaintext credentials that would be used for web authentication.
A user is affected if their PLC model is one of the FX5UC variants or belongs to iQ-F, iQ-R, Q, or L Series, and their project files contain plaintext passwords while FTP or web server features are enabled.
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 dataImplement secure credential storage (hashing/encryption) in project files and require credential updates for affected deployments; update to patched firmware versions when available.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $14,080.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-0457 — 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-2023-0457 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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