CVE-2023-29054
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 · uneditedA vulnerability has been identified in SCALANCE X200-4P IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE X201-3P IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE X201-3P IRT PRO (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE X202-2IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE X202-2IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE X202-2P IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE X202-2P IRT PRO (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE X204IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE X204IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE X204IRT PRO (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE XF201-3P IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE XF202-2P IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE XF204-2BA IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SCALANCE XF204IRT (All versions < V5.5.2), SIPLUS NET SCALANCE X202-2P IRT (All versions < V5.5.2). The SSH server on affected devices is configured to offer weak ciphers by default. This could allow an unauthorized attacker in a man-in-the-middle position to read and modify any data passed over the connection between legitimate clients and the affected device.
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 confidenceThe SSH server on SCALANCE X industrial network switches is configured to offer weak cryptographic ciphers by default. An attacker with man-in-the-middle positioning can exploit this to intercept, read, and modify SSH traffic between legitimate clients and the affected device, compromising both confidentiality and integrity.
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< 5.5.2< 5.5.2< 5.5.2< 5.5.2< 5.5.2< 5.5.2< 5.5.2< 5.5.2CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 SCALANCE X modelLocate the device model number on the physical device label or in the device's web interface or CLI under system informationAffected if The model matches any of: X200 4p Irt, X201 3p Irt, X201 3p Irt Pro, X202 2irt, X202 2p Irt, X202 2p Irt Pro, X204irt, or X204irt Pro
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Determine firmware versionAccess the device web interface or CLI and check the firmware version under device status or system informationAffected if The installed firmware version is below 5.5.2 (for example, 5.4.x or earlier)
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Verify SSH server is enabledIn the device web interface under services or SSH settings, confirm the SSH server is turned onAffected if SSH server is enabled and running on the device
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Inspect SSH cipher configurationIn the device web interface or CLI under SSH service settings, review the list of enabled ciphersAffected if Weak or medium-strength ciphers (such as 3des-cbc, aes128-cbc, aes192-cbc, aes256-cbc, or diffie-hellman-group1-sha1) are listed as supported or enabled
You are affected if you have any of the listed SCALANCE X models running firmware below version 5.5.2 with the SSH server enabled and weak ciphers configured or available by default.
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 · scoped5.5.2
Update SCALANCE X devices to firmware version V5.5.2 or later, which removes weak cipher support. If immediate patching is not feasible, disable weak SSH ciphers via device configuration and verify only strong ciphers are enabled.
Firmware V5.5.2
- 1. Identify the exact SCALANCE device model from the affected list (X200-4P IRT, X201-3P IRT, X201-3P IRT PRO, X202-2IRT, X202-2P IRT, X202-2P IRT PRO, X204IRT, X204IRT PRO, XF201-3P IRT, XF202-2P IRT, XF204-2BA IRT, XF204IRT, or SIPLUS NET X202-2P IRT)
- 2. Check the current firmware version of the device through the web interface or CLI
- 3. Obtain firmware version V5.5.2 or later from the Siemens industrial security portal or official support channels
- 4. Upload the new firmware to the device following the Siemens firmware upgrade instructions in the product manual
- 5. After upgrading, verify the SSH server no longer offers weak ciphers by reviewing the SSH server configuration
- 6. Test SSH connectivity to confirm the device remains functional after the upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-29054 — 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-2023-29054 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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