CVE-2023-1552
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 · uneditedToolboxST prior to version 7.10 is affected by a deserialization vulnerability. An attacker with local access to an HMI or who has conducted a social engineering attack on an authorized operator could execute code in a Toolbox user's context through the deserialization of an untrusted configuration file. Two CVSS scores have been provided to capture the differences between the two aforementioned attack vectors. Customers are advised to update to ToolboxST 7.10 which can be found in ControlST 7.10. If unable to update at this time customers should ensure they are following the guidance laid out in GE Gas Power's Secure Deployment Guide (GEH-6839). Customers should ensure they are not running ToolboxST as an Administrative user.
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 confidenceToolboxST versions prior to 7.10 contain a deserialization vulnerability where untrusted configuration files can be deserialized to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the Toolbox user. An attacker requires either local access to the HMI or can exploit this through social engineering a legitimate operator into loading a malicious configuration file.
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< 7.10CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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 ToolboxST installation locationLocate the ToolboxST installation directory, typically found in Program Files or Program Files (x86) under GE or similar directories. Check for executables named toolboxst.exe or similar GE automation software binaries.Affected if The installed version is earlier than 7.10 or cannot be determined.
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Determine installed ToolboxST versionRight-click the ToolboxST executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for version information. Alternatively, launch ToolboxST and check the About or Help menu for the version number.Affected if The version displayed is less than 7.10 (for example, 7.0, 6.x, or any version prior to 7.10).
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Verify user account privilegesOpen Task Manager while ToolboxST is running, right-click the toolboxst.exe process, select Run as different user, or check the user context in the Details tab. Compare this to the account type (Standard User vs Administrator).Affected if ToolboxST is running with administrative or elevated privileges rather than a standard operator account.
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Inspect recent configuration filesNavigate to the configuration or project directories used by ToolboxST. Review recently modified .xml, .cfg, .config, or project files for unexpected or unfamiliar entries, especially those containing serialized objects or encoded content.Affected if Untrusted or unfamiliar configuration files from unknown sources exist in the working directories.
A user is affected if their ToolboxST version is earlier than 7.10, or if they have loaded configuration files from untrusted sources while running with elevated privileges.
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 · scoped7.10
Update ToolboxST to version 7.10 (available in ControlST 7.10), review and implement the GE Gas Power Secure Deployment Guide (GEH-6839), and ensure ToolboxST is not run with administrative privileges.
ToolboxST 7.10 (via ControlST 7.10)
- Obtain ToolboxST 7.10 (available as part of ControlST 7.10 from GE
- Upgrade/migrate to ToolboxST 7.10
- If upgrade is not immediately possible, follow the mitigation guidance in GE Gas Power's Secure Deployment Guide (GEH-6839)
- Ensure ToolboxST is not run with Administrative privileges
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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-2023-1552 — 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-2023-1552 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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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.
- 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