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Sel 451 FirmwareOperating system · Selinc

CVE-2023-31177

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
An Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation  ('Cross-site Scripting') in the Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories SEL-451 could allow an attacker to craft a link that could execute arbitrary code on a victim's system. See product Instruction Manual Appendix A dated 20230830 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 confidence

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the SEL-451 device's web interface allows attackers to inject malicious scripts via crafted links, potentially executing arbitrary code on victim systems. The vulnerability stems from improper input neutralization during web page generation.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware update from SEL (refer to Instruction Manual Appendix A dated 20230830) and implement network segmentation to limit web interface exposure.

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
Sel 451 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= r315-v0, < r315-v4>= r316-v0, < r316-v4>= r317-v0, < r317-v4>= r318-v0, < r318-v5>= r320-v0, < r320-v3>= r321-v0, < r321-v3>= r322-v0, < r322-v3>= r323-v0, < r323-v5>= r324-v0, < r324-v4>= r325-v0, < r325-v3= r326-v0= r327-v0

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

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

  1. Identify the device model
    Access the device via console, SSH, or web interface and retrieve the model identifier. On the SEL-451 web interface, the device model is typically displayed on the login page or in the device status/dashboard section.
    Affected if The device is not an SEL-451 relay
  2. Retrieve the installed firmware version
    In the SEL-451 web interface, navigate to the System or Device Information page where the firmware version is displayed. Alternatively, access the device via console or SSH and use the appropriate command to display firmware version (such as 'VER' or 'FIRMWARE' command in the device's command interface).
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be retrieved or does not match SEL-451 firmware versioning pattern (rXXX-vY format)
  3. Verify the web interface is enabled
    Attempt to access the device's web interface via HTTP/HTTPS on the device's IP address. Check the device configuration via console or SSH to confirm web server functionality is enabled.
    Affected if The web interface is not accessible or web server functionality is disabled on the device
  4. Compare installed firmware version against affected ranges
    Compare the retrieved firmware version to the affected ranges: r315-v0 to r315-v3, r316-v0 to r316-v3, r317-v0 to r317-v3, r318-v0 to r318-v4, r320-v0 to r320-v2, r321-v0 to r321-v2, r322-v0 to r322-v2, r323-v0 to r323-v4, r324-v0 to r324-v3, r325-v0 to r325-v2, r326-v0, or r327-v0.
    Affected if The installed firmware version falls within any of the listed affected version ranges, or matches exactly r326-v0 or r327-v0

A user is affected if they have an SEL-451 device with the web interface enabled and a firmware version matching any of the affected ranges listed in the CVE.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied firmware update from SEL (refer to Instruction Manual Appendix A dated 20230830) and implement network segmentation to limit web interface exposure.

Recommended fix High confidence

r315-v4 or later; r316-v4 or later; r317-v4 or later; r318-v5 or later (depending on your current firmware branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current firmware version of the SEL-451 device by accessing the device interface or checking the device configuration.
  2. 2. Determine which firmware branch (r315, r316, r317, or r318) the current version belongs to.
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed firmware version from selinc.com based on your current branch: for r315 branch upgrade to r315-v4 or later; for r316 branch upgrade to r316-v4 or later; for r317 branch upgrade to r317-v4 or later; for r318 branch upgrade to r318-v5 or later.
  4. 4. Review the SEL-451 instruction manual for firmware upgrade procedures, including any prerequisite configuration steps.
  5. 5. Create a backup of the current device configuration before performing the upgrade.
  6. 6. Follow the vendor's recommended firmware upload and installation process, typically via the device web interface or management software.
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new firmware version and confirming all device functions operate normally.
  8. 8. After upgrade, validate that the XSS vulnerability is no longer present by testing with the previously identified malicious link patterns.
Caveat Firmware upgrades on industrial control devices may affect device configuration or operation; test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Sel 451 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
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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-2023-31177 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