CVE-2023-31274
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 · uneditedAVEVA PI Server versions 2023 and 2018 SP3 P05 and prior contain a vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated user to cause the PI Message Subsystem of a PI Server to consume available memory resulting in throttled processing of new PI Data Archive events and a partial denial-of-service condition.
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 confidenceAVEVA PI Server contains a memory exhaustion vulnerability in its PI Message Subsystem. An unauthenticated attacker can send specially crafted requests that cause the message subsystem to consume excessive memory, resulting in throttled processing of new PI Data Archive events and a partial denial-of-service condition.
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< 2018= 2018= 2023CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
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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Verify AVEVA PI Server installationCheck for AVEVA PI Server on the system by looking for its installation directory, services, or using system inventory tools. Common locations include C:\Program Files\AVEVA or check Windows Services for 'PI' or 'AVEVA' named services.Affected if AVEVA PI Server is installed on the system
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Determine installed PI Server versionCheck the installed version through the PI Server administrative tools, registry entries, or the PI System Management Tools (PI SMT). Look for version information in the About or Diagnostics sections.Affected if The installed version is 2018, 2023, or any version released before 2018 SP3 P05 (verify against: < 2018, = 2018, = 2023)
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Confirm PI Message Subsystem is runningCheck the status of the PI Message Subsystem service using PI System Management Tools, Windows Services console, or by running 'pipc list' command if available. The service is typically named something related to 'PI Message' or 'Message Subsystem'.Affected if The PI Message Subsystem service is running and processing events
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Assess network exposure of PI ServerReview firewall rules, network segmentation, and access controls around the PI Server. Check if the PI Message Subsystem ports are accessible from untrusted networks or the internet. Verify authentication requirements for message subsystem endpoints.Affected if The PI Server and its message subsystem are reachable from untrusted network segments without authentication restrictions
A system is affected if it runs AVEVA PI Server version 2018, 2023, or any version before 2018 SP3 P05, has the PI Message Subsystem enabled, and is accessible to unauthenticated attackers on the network.
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.
From vendor data2018
Update AVEVA PI Server to a version newer than 2023 or 2018 SP3 P05. Additionally, restrict network access to the PI Server to prevent unauthenticated attackers from reaching the vulnerable subsystem.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-31274 — 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-2023-31274 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
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