dbcve.org
Development SystemApplication · Codesys

CVE-2023-3662

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.5.19.20 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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
In CODESYS Development System versions from 3.5.17.0 and prior to 3.5.19.20 a vulnerability allows for execution of binaries from the current working directory in the users context .

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 · high confidence

This is an untrusted search path vulnerability where CODESYS Development System executes binaries from the current working directory instead of using absolute paths. An attacker who can place a maliciously named executable in a directory from which a user launches CODESYS can achieve code execution with the user's privileges.

MitigationUpgrade CODESYS Development System to version 3.5.19.20 or later. As a compensating control, avoid launching CODESYS from directories writable by other users and ensure only trusted files exist in working directories.

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
Development SystemApplication
Affected:>= 3.5.17.0, < 3.5.19.20

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed CODESYS version
    Locate and open CODESYS Development System, then access the About or Help section to view the exact version number. Alternatively, check the program installation directory for version information.
    Affected if The version is 3.5.17.0 or higher but lower than 3.5.19.20
  2. Verify version is within affected range
    Compare the installed version number against the affected range: any version from 3.5.17.0 up to and including 3.5.19.19 is vulnerable.
    Affected if Installed version falls between 3.5.17.0 (inclusive) and 3.5.19.20 (exclusive)
  3. Check working directory when launching CODESYS
    Identify the directory from which CODESYS is typically launched (the current working directory at launch time). Examine if this directory is shared, writable by other users, or located in a location where untrusted files could be placed.
    Affected if CODESYS is launched from a directory writable by other users, or from locations like downloads, temp directories, or network shares where untrusted files may exist

A user is affected if they have CODESYS Development System version 3.5.17.0 through 3.5.19.19 installed AND they launch it from a directory where an attacker could place a maliciously named executable.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.5.19.20 or later
Fixed in 3.5.19.20
Interim mitigation

Upgrade CODESYS Development System to version 3.5.19.20 or later. As a compensating control, avoid launching CODESYS from directories writable by other users and ensure only trusted files exist in working directories.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.5.19.20

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed CODESYS Development System version (Help > About in the application)
  2. 2. Download CODESYS Development System version 3.5.19.20 or later from the official CODESYS download server or vendor (reference: cert.vde.com)
  3. 3. Back up all existing CODESYS projects, libraries, and configuration files
  4. 4. Uninstall the current affected version of CODESYS Development System via Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features
  5. 5. Restart the workstation to ensure all processes are terminated
  6. 6. Install the downloaded fixed version 3.5.19.20
  7. 7. Verify the installed version matches 3.5.19.20 or later
  8. 8. Restore backed-up projects and confirm functionality
Caveat Standard security upgrade; review release notes for any functional changes between your current version and 3.5.19.20

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

Fix this in Development System Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-3662 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-3662 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