CVE-2023-30757
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 Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V14 (All versions), Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V15 (All versions), Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V15.1 (All versions), Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V16 (All versions), Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V17 (All versions), Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V18 (All versions), Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V19 (All versions), Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V20 (All versions). The know-how protection feature in affected products does not properly update the encryption of existing program blocks when a project file is updated. This could allow attackers with access to the project file to recover previous - yet unprotected - versions of the project without the knowledge of the know-how protection password.
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 know-how protection feature in Siemens TIA Portal V14-V20 fails to properly re-encrypt existing program blocks when a project file is updated. This allows an attacker with file access to recover previous unprotected versions of the code, bypassing the know-how protection password entirely.
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= 14.0= 15= 15.1= 16= 17= 18CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 installed TIA Portal versionCheck the program files for Siemens TIA Portal and note the exact version number (e.g., V14, V15, V15.1, V16, V17, V18). Look in 'C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation' or use Windows Programs and Features.Affected if The installed version is 14.0, 15, 15.1, 16, 17, or 18.
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Locate TIA Portal project filesSearch for .srf or .ap14+ project files on the system, typically found in user project directories or shared engineering locations.Affected if Project files (.srf, .ap14, .ap15, .ap16, .ap17, .ap18) exist and were created with an affected TIA Portal version.
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Determine if know-how protection was appliedInspect the project file structure for know-how protection markers. Check if the project contains protected program blocks (typically in the 'Program blocks' folder) and review the project settings for protection flags.Affected if The project contains blocks marked as 'Know-How Protected' and the project file shows version history or update records.
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Check for project update eventsReview the project's modification history, log files, or compare timestamps of project files to identify if the project was ever updated after initial creation. Look for multiple versions or backup files.Affected if The project was updated (re-saved) after the initial protection was applied, which would trigger the flawed re-encryption.
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Inspect for unprotected backup or temp filesSearch the project directory and adjacent folders for any unprotected versions, temporary files, or older backups of the project that may have been created during the update process.Affected if Unprotected versions of protected blocks exist alongside or within the updated project structure.
A user is affected if they have TIA Portal version 14.0 through 18 installed AND have a project that was updated (re-saved) after know-how protection was initially applied, as the vulnerability allows recovery of unprotected code versions.
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 · scopedLimit access to TIA Portal project files to trusted personnel only. Apply any vendor-supplied patches for TIA Portal when available.
TIA Portal V21 or later (verify exact version from Siemens advisory SSA-232461)
- Verify the current TIA Portal version installed in your environment
- Contact Siemens technical support or check the official security advisory at cert-portal.siemens.com for patch SSA-232461 to confirm the exact fixed version and download instructions
- If a fixed version is available, download it from Siemens Industry Online Support
- Backup all existing TIA Portal projects before upgrading
- Uninstall the current TIA Portal version
- Install the fixed version (V21 or later as specified in the Siemens advisory)
- Verify that the know-how protection feature now properly re-encrypts all blocks when updating project files
- Test existing projects with know-how protection to confirm the vulnerability is resolved
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-30757 — 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-2023-30757 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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- 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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