ZenonApplication · Abb

CVE-2023-3323

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 11.0.0 or later.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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
A vulnerability exists by allowing low-privileged users to read and update the data in various directories used by the Zenon system. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by using specially crafted programs to exploit the vulnerabilities by allowing them to run on the zenon installed hosts. This issue affects ABB Ability™ zenon: from 11 build through 11 build 106404.

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

A directory permission vulnerability in ABB Ability zenon version 11 (builds up to 106404) allows low-privileged users to read and update data in system directories that should be restricted. Attackers can exploit this by running specially crafted programs on affected hosts.

MitigationRestrict file system permissions on zenon directories to prevent low-privileged user access, and apply vendor patches when available. Limit the ability to execute untrusted programs on zenon hosts.

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
ZenonApplication
Affected:<= 11.0.0

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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. Verify zenon installation
    Locate the ABB Ability zenon installation directory, typically found in Program Files or Program Files (x86) folders, or search for 'zenon' in program directories.
    Affected if zenon software is present on the system
  2. Identify installed zenon version and build number
    Check the zenon installation for version information, typically found in a version file, about dialog, or executable properties. Note both the major version (e.g., 11.0.0) and the specific build number.
    Affected if The installed version is 11.0.0 with build number 106404 or lower, or any version listed as 11.0.0 or below
  3. Examine directory permissions on zenon system folders
    Right-click the zenon installation directory, select Properties, then Security tab. Review the permissions for users or groups with lower privilege levels. Check if non-admin users have Read, Write, or Modify access to system or configuration directories.
    Affected if Low-privileged users (such as standard users or limited groups) have Read, Write, or Modify permissions on system directories within the zenon installation folder
  4. Verify permission inheritance on restricted directories
    Examine whether permission inheritance is enabled on critical zenon directories (such as configuration, system, or data folders). Check if subdirectories have overly permissive access control entries inherited from parent folders.
    Affected if Inherited permissions grant broader access to low-privileged users than intended for system directories
  5. Check for untrusted program execution capability
    Assess whether low-privileged users can write executable files into zenon directories or can execute programs from within the zenon installation folder structure.
    Affected if Low-privileged users have Write or Execute permissions that allow them to place or run programs in zenon directories

The environment is affected if ABB Ability zenon version 11.0.0 build 106404 or lower is installed and low-privileged users have Read, Write, or Modify permissions on zenon system directories.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 11.0.0
Interim mitigation

Restrict file system permissions on zenon directories to prevent low-privileged user access, and apply vendor patches when available. Limit the ability to execute untrusted programs on zenon hosts.

Fix this in Zenon Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-3323 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-3323 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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