CVE-2023-34390
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 input validation vulnerability in the Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories SEL-451 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to create a denial of service against the system and locking out services. 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 confidenceThe SEL-451 protection relay contains an input validation vulnerability that allows a remote authenticated attacker to trigger a denial of service condition, causing system disruption and service lockout. The vulnerability is in input processing logic within the device firmware.
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>= 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-v0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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-451 firmware versionAccess the device via its front panel menu, SEL-ACS software, or SSH/telnet session and retrieve the firmware version information using the appropriate command (typically 'VER' or through the device status menu)Affected if The displayed firmware version matches any of the following 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
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Confirm remote network accessibilityVerify whether the SEL-451 device has IP network interfaces enabled and is accessible from network segments outside the local control system subnet. Check firewall rules, ACLs, and network exposure of the device's Ethernet portsAffected if The device is reachable via IP from network segments that contain untrusted or unauthorized users, indicating potential remote attack surface
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Verify authentication configurationReview the device's security settings via SEL-ACS, front panel, or CLI to determine which authentication methods are enabled (password, certificate-based, etc.) and whether weak or default credentials may be in useAffected if Remote authentication is enabled but uses weak, default, or shared credentials, allowing an attacker to gain authenticated access to trigger the vulnerable input processing path
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Check for input processing interface exposureDetermine if the device's input processing or data exchange features (such as settings upload, configuration import, or protocol-based input handling) are accessible remotely. Review enabled protocols (DNP3, Modbus, IEC 61850, etc.) and their access controlsAffected if Remote protocol interfaces that process external input are enabled without restriction, allowing an authenticated remote user to send specially crafted input to trigger the vulnerability
You are affected if your SEL-451 device runs any firmware version listed in the affected ranges AND is accessible to remote authenticated attackers who can send malicious input to the device.
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 firmware update from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (reference Appendix A dated 20230830) and ensure network segmentation limits exposure to only authenticated, authorized personnel.
Any of: r315-v4, r316-v4, r317-v4, or r318-v5 (with r318-v5 being the latest)
- 1. Identify the current firmware version of the SEL-451 device by accessing the device interface or checking the system documentation
- 2. If running firmware r315-v0 through r315-v3, upgrade to firmware r315-v4
- 3. If running firmware r316-v0 through r316-v3, upgrade to firmware r316-v4
- 4. If running firmware r317-v0 through r317-v3, upgrade to firmware r317-v4
- 5. If running firmware r318-v0 through r318-v4, upgrade to firmware r318-v5
- 6. Obtain the firmware update from the official SEL (Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories) website or contact SEL support
- 7. Follow the official firmware upgrade procedure documented in the SEL-451 Instruction Manual
- 8. After upgrade, verify the new firmware version is correctly installed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-34390 — 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-2023-34390 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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