ThinmanagerApplication · Rockwellautomation

CVE-2023-27855

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 12.1.5 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
In affected versions, a path traversal exists when processing a message in Rockwell Automation's ThinManager ThinServer. An unauthenticated remote attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability to upload arbitrary files to any directory on the disk drive where ThinServer.exe is installed. The attacker could overwrite existing executable files with attacker-controlled, malicious contents, potentially causing remote code execution.

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

A path traversal vulnerability exists in Rockwell Automation's ThinManager ThinServer when processing messages, allowing an unauthenticated remote attacker to upload arbitrary files to any directory on the disk where ThinServer.exe is installed. This can be exploited to overwrite existing executable files with malicious content, leading to remote code execution.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches immediately. If no patch is available, network segment ThinServer from untrusted networks and implement file-system monitoring to detect unauthorized file modifications.

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
ThinmanagerApplication
Affected:>= 6.0.0, <= 10.0.2>= 11.0.0, <= 11.0.5>= 11.1.0, <= 11.1.5>= 11.2.0, <= 11.2.6>= 12.0.0, <= 12.0.4>= 12.1.0, <= 12.1.5= 13.0.0= 13.0.1

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
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 checks

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

  1. Locate ThinServer.exe installation
    Search the system for ThinServer.exe file, typically found in the ThinManager installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\ThinManager or similar). Check Services snap-in or registry for the ThinServer service path.
    Affected if ThinServer.exe is present on the system in any location.
  2. Identify ThinManager version
    Right-click ThinServer.exe or ThinManager.exe, select Properties, and check the File Version or Product Version field. Alternatively, open ThinManager and navigate to Help > About to view the version.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 6.0.0-10.0.2, 11.0.0-11.0.5, 11.1.0-11.1.5, 11.2.0-11.2.6, 12.0.0-12.0.4, 12.1.0-12.1.5, 13.0.0, or 13.1.1.
  3. Verify ThinServer service status
    Open Services (services.msc), locate the ThinServer service, and check if its status is Running. Also note the startup type (Automatic, Manual, or Disabled).
    Affected if The ThinServer service is running or set to start automatically.
  4. Assess network exposure
    Review firewall rules and network configuration to determine if ThinServer ports (default ThinManager port 2031/TCP, or configured port) are accessible from untrusted or external networks. Use netstat -an to list listening ports.
    Affected if ThinServer is listening on a port accessible from untrusted networks (e.g., not behind a properly segmented firewall).

The environment is affected if ThinServer.exe is installed and the version matches any of the vulnerable ranges listed, regardless of service status, since the path traversal flaw exists in the software itself.

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 12.1.5
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided patches immediately. If no patch is available, network segment ThinServer from untrusted networks and implement file-system monitoring to detect unauthorized file modifications.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

ThinManager 11.2.7 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current ThinManager ThinServer version running in the environment
  2. 2. Navigate to Rockwell Automation's official support website (rockwellautomation.com) or the ThinManager product page
  3. 3. Locate and download ThinManager version 11.2.7 or later (or the latest available version)
  4. 4. Review the release notes for any specific upgrade instructions or prerequisites
  5. 5. Create a complete backup of the ThinManager configuration and any relevant system data
  6. 6. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first to verify compatibility
  7. 7. Apply the upgrade to the production ThinManager ThinServer installation
  8. 8. Verify that ThinServer.exe is running the updated version and that all expected functionality works correctly
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration changes or compatibility considerations with connected thin clients

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

Fix this in Thinmanager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2023-27855 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data