CVE-2023-37194
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 · uneditedA vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC CP 1604 (All versions), SIMATIC CP 1616 (All versions), SIMATIC CP 1623 (All versions), SIMATIC CP 1626 (All versions), SIMATIC CP 1628 (All versions). The kernel memory of affected devices is exposed to user-mode via direct memory access (DMA) which could allow a local attacker with administrative privileges to execute arbitrary code on the host system without any restrictions.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in Siemens SIMATIC CP network interface cards (1604, 1616, 1623, 1626, 1628) exposes kernel memory to user-mode through direct memory access (DMA). A local attacker with administrative privileges can read/write kernel memory and execute arbitrary code with full system privileges, bypassing all security restrictions.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify SIMATIC CP device models in the environmentScan network inventory, review device documentation, or physically inspect network interface cards for model numbers 1604, 1616, 1623, 1626, or 1628Affected if Any of these specific model numbers are found in the environment
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Verify device is a SIMATIC CP network interface cardConfirm the device is a Siemens SIMATIC CP series network interface card (not a different product line with similar numbers)Affected if The device is confirmed as a SIMATIC CP 1604, 1616, 1623, 1626, or 1628
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Confirm firmware version is presentAccess device management interface or use Siemens tools to query firmware versionAffected if Any firmware version is returned, since all versions are affected
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Check for DMA or direct hardware access capabilityReview device configuration settings for DMA enablement or direct memory access features; check if PCIe direct memory access is permittedAffected if DMA or direct memory access is enabled or available on the device
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Assess administrative access controlsReview user accounts and privilege levels configured on the device; check if administrative or privileged accounts existAffected if Administrative or privileged user accounts are present on the device
If the environment contains any SIMATIC CP 1604, 1616, 1623, 1626, or 1628 network interface cards with DMA access capability and administrative accounts configured, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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 dataSince all versions are affected with no patch indicated, prioritize physical access controls and restrict administrative privileges. Contact Siemens for firmware updates and consider network segmentation to limit exposure from compromised devices.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 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-2023-37194 — 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-2023-37194 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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