CVE-2023-25178
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 · uneditedController may be loaded with malicious firmware which could enable remote code execution. See Honeywell Security Notification for recommendations on upgrading and versioning.
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 · moderate confidenceA vulnerability in Honeywell security controllers allows loading of malicious firmware, which can enable remote code execution. This appears to be a firmware integrity or secure boot bypass issue where the controller does not adequately verify the authenticity of firmware before loading it.
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>= 501.1, <= 501.6hf8>= 510.1, <= 510.2hf12>= 511.1, <= 511.5tcu3>= 520.1, <= 520.1tcu4>= 520.2, <= 520.2tcu2CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 the controller modelAccess the controller interface via its web UI, CLI, or management console and confirm the device model is Honeywell C300Affected if Device model is not Honeywell C300 (this CVE only affects C300 controllers)
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Determine the installed firmware versionView the firmware version information through the controller's web interface, command-line interface, or system information page. The version typically appears as a numeric string such as 501.x, 510.x, 511.x, 520.1, or 520.2Affected if Firmware version falls within any of these ranges: 501.1 to 501.6hf8, 510.1 to 510.2hf12, 511.1 to 511.5tcu3, 520.1 to 520.1tcu4, or 520.2 to 520.2tcu2
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Verify firmware integrity validation is enabledAccess the controller security settings or firmware management configuration. Look for options related to firmware signature verification, secure boot, or firmware integrity checks. Confirm whether these security validations are currently activeAffected if Firmware integrity verification or secure boot is disabled or not properly configured, allowing unsigned or modified firmware to load
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Inspect firmware update mechanismReview the controller's firmware update logs, audit trail, or event history for any recent firmware loading activities. Check if the system logged successful signature verification for any loaded firmwareAffected if Firmware was loaded without documented signature verification or integrity check records, suggesting the bypass may have been exploited
A user is affected if they have a Honeywell C300 controller running firmware version within any of the affected ranges listed, and the firmware integrity or secure boot verification is not actively preventing unauthorized firmware loading.
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 dataUpgrade controller firmware to the version recommended in the Honeywell Security Notification. Verify firmware integrity using official hashing/verification methods before deployment.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,968.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-25178 — 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-2023-25178 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