CVE-2023-31160
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 · uneditedAn Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in the Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Real-Time Automation Controller (SEL RTAC) Web Interface could allow a remote authenticated attacker to inject and execute arbitrary script code. See SEL Service Bulletin dated 2022-11-15 for more details.
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 confidenceThis is a stored/reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Real-Time Automation Controller (SEL RTAC) web interface. An authenticated remote attacker can inject malicious JavaScript or other script code into web pages served by the RTAC device, which will execute in the browsers of other authenticated users who view the compromised content.
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>= r113-v0, < r150-v2>= r148-v0, < r150-v2>= r119-v0, < r150-v2>= r132-v0, < r150-v2>= r100-v0, < r150-v2>= r108-v0, < r150-v2>= r132-v0, < r150-v2>= r134-v0, < r150-v2CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 the SEL RTAC model numberLocate the model label on the physical device or check the web interface system information page for the exact model (e.g., SEL 2241, SEL 3350, SEL 3505, SEL 3530, SEL 3532, SEL 3555)Affected if The model is one of the affected products listed in the CVE
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Determine the installed firmware versionAccess the RTAC web interface and navigate to the system settings or about page to view the firmware version, or use the device CLI to query the firmware versionAffected if The firmware version cannot be determined or is not visible
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Compare firmware version against affected rangesCheck if your firmware version falls within any of the following ranges: r113-v0 to r149 (for SEL 2241), r148-v0 to r149 (for SEL 3350), r119-v0 to r149 (for SEL 3505), r132-v0 to r149 (for SEL 3505 3), r100-v0 to r149 (for SEL 3530), r108-v0 to r149 (for SEL 3530 4), r132-v0 to r149 (for SEL 3532), or r134-v0 to r149 (for SEL 3555)Affected if The installed version is greater than or equal to the minimum affected version and less than r150-v2 for your model
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Verify the web interface is accessibleAttempt to access the RTAC web interface via HTTP/HTTPS to confirm it is enabled and reachable on the networkAffected if The web interface is enabled and exposed
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Check for unexpected content in web interfaceReview web interface logs or user-generated content areas for any suspicious script tags or unexpected HTML/JavaScript that was not authored by administratorsAffected if Unexpected script content is found in logs or stored content
You are affected if your SEL RTAC model matches one of the listed products AND your installed firmware version is within the vulnerable range (greater than or equal to the minimum version for your model but less than r150-v2), and the web interface is enabled.
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 · scopedApply the vendor patch from SEL Service Bulletin (2022-11-15) to the affected RTAC firmware. Until then, restrict web interface access to trusted users only and monitor for suspicious activity.
r150-v2 or later firmware
- Identify the specific SEL RTAC model (2241, 3350, 3505, 3505 3, 3530, 3530 4, 3532, or 3555) in use
- Access the SEL customer portal or contact SEL technical support to obtain firmware version r150-v2 or later
- Backup the current RTAC configuration
- Upload and install the r150-v2 (or later) firmware to the RTAC device
- Verify the firmware installation was successful
- Restore the configuration if needed
- Confirm the web interface is functioning properly
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $9,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-31160 — 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-2023-31160 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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