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Ao OpcApplication · Abb

CVE-2023-2685

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.2.1 or later.
See remediation →
63/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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 was found in AO-OPC server versions mentioned above. As the directory information for the service entry is not enclosed in quotation marks, potential attackers could possibly call up another application than the AO-OPC server by starting the service. The service might be started with system user privileges which could cause a shift in user access privileges. It is unlikely to exploit the vulnerability in well maintained Windows installations since the attacker would need write access to system folders. An update is available that resolves the vulnerability found during an internal review in the product AO-OPC = 3.2.1 

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

This is an insecure service path vulnerability in AO-OPC server where the executable path in the Windows service configuration is not enclosed in quotation marks. An attacker with write access to system folders can manipulate the service binary path to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges, achieving local privilege escalation.

MitigationUpdate to AO-OPC version 3.2.1 or later which contains the fix. Additionally, ensure strict permissions on system directories to prevent unauthorized writes that could enable binary replacement attacks.

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
Ao OpcApplication
Affected:>= 1.0.0, <= 3.2.1

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
High
Privileges
High
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify AO-OPC installation
    Check for AO-OPC server installation by looking in Program Files or Program Files (x86) for an 'AO-OPC' or similar folder, or use Registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall to find installed software matching 'AO-OPC' or 'Abb Ao Opc'.
    Affected if AO-OPC is installed and the installed version falls within 1.0.0 to 3.2.1 inclusive.
  2. Locate the AO-OPC Windows service
    Open Services console (services.msc) or run 'sc queryex type= service state= all' in Command Prompt, and look for any service related to AO-OPC or ABB OPC server.
    Affected if An AO-OPC related Windows service exists on the system.
  3. Inspect the service binary path configuration
    Run 'sc qc <service_name>' for the identified AO-OPC service, or use 'wmic service where "name='<service_name>'" get PathName,DisplayName' to retrieve the binary path configuration.
    Affected if The BINARY_PATH_NAME field shows a path to the executable that is NOT enclosed in quotation marks (e.g., C:\Program Files\Abb\AoOpc\server.exe instead of "C:\Program Files\Abb\AoOpc\server.exe").
  4. Verify permissions on folders in the service path
    Use icacls or AccessChk to examine permissions on each folder in the unquoted service path (e.g., if path is C:\Program Files\Abb\AoOpc\server.exe, check permissions on C:\, C:\Program Files, and C:\Program Files\Abb). Look for any writable access granted to non-admin users or low-privileged accounts.
    Affected if Any folder in the service binary path (before the executable name) is writable by a low-privileged or non-admin user.

The system is affected if AO-OPC version 1.0.0 through 3.2.1 is installed, has a registered Windows service with an unquoted binary path, and any directory in that path is writable by an unprivileged user.

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 a release after 3.2.1
Interim mitigation

Update to AO-OPC version 3.2.1 or later which contains the fix. Additionally, ensure strict permissions on system directories to prevent unauthorized writes that could enable binary replacement attacks.

Recommended fix High confidence

Version after 3.2.1 (latest stable release from ABB)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of AO-OPC server by checking the application or service properties.
  2. 2. Obtain the latest version of AO-OPC from the official ABB source (search.abb.com) or your ABB representative.
  3. 3. Before upgrading, ensure you have a complete backup of the system and configuration data.
  4. 4. Stop the AO-OPC service if it is currently running.
  5. 5. Install the updated AO-OPC server version that includes the fix for CVE-2023-2685.
  6. 6. Verify the service installation uses properly quoted paths in the service entry configuration.
  7. 7. Start the AO-OPC service and verify normal operation.
  8. 8. Confirm the version number reflects the patched release.
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or feature changes between your current version and the new version

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

Fix this in Ao Opc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2023-2685 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
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