dbcve.org
Spectrum Power 7Application · Siemens

CVE-2023-38557

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 23q3 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 has been identified in Spectrum Power 7 (All versions < V23Q3). The affected product assigns improper access rights to the update script. This could allow an authenticated local attacker to inject arbitrary code and escalate privileges.

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

Spectrum Power 7 versions prior to V23Q3 assign improper access rights to the update script. This allows an authenticated local attacker to modify the script and inject arbitrary code, achieving privilege escalation to execute with elevated privileges.

MitigationUpgrade to Spectrum Power 7 V23Q3 or later to receive the patch. Alternatively, immediately restrict file permissions on the update script to prevent unauthorized modification by non-privileged users.

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
Spectrum Power 7Application
Affected:< 23q3

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Determine the installed version of Spectrum Power 7
    Use the system information utility or product-specific command to retrieve the current version (for example, check the product about dialog, run 'spectrum version', or inspect the installation metadata)
    Affected if The version is prior to V23Q3 (any build or release before version 23Q3)
  2. Locate the update script in the Spectrum Power 7 installation
    Identify the update script or automated update mechanism used by the product (typically found in the installation directory under a bin, scripts, or update folder)
    Affected if The update script exists and is present on the system
  3. Inspect file permissions on the update script
    Use the command appropriate to the operating system to view permissions (for example, 'ls -la <path_to_update_script>' on Linux or right-click > Properties > Security on Windows)
    Affected if The script grants write or modify permissions to non-privileged users (such as 'Other' or 'Users' group having write access on Linux, or non-admin users having Modify/Write permissions on Windows)
  4. Verify ownership of the update script
    Check which user or group owns the update script using 'ls -la' or equivalent file property inspection
    Affected if The script is owned by a privileged account but still writable by unprivileged users, indicating a permission misconfiguration

A user is affected if their Spectrum Power 7 version is prior to V23Q3 AND the update script has permissive access rights that allow authenticated non-privileged users to modify it, enabling potential privilege escalation.

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 23q3 or later
Fixed in 23q3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Spectrum Power 7 V23Q3 or later to receive the patch. Alternatively, immediately restrict file permissions on the update script to prevent unauthorized modification by non-privileged users.

Recommended fix High confidence

Spectrum Power 7 V23Q3

  1. 1. Back up the current Spectrum Power 7 system configuration and data before making any changes.
  2. 2. Obtain the Spectrum Power 7 V23Q3 or later release from Siemens (via cert-portal.siemens.com or official Siemens distribution channels).
  3. 3. Upgrade the Spectrum Power 7 installation to version V23Q3 or later following the official Siemens upgrade documentation.
  4. 4. After upgrade, verify that the update script permissions have been corrected by reviewing file permissions on update-related scripts.
  5. 5. Confirm the system operates normally and the vulnerability is resolved.
Caveat Review Siemens release notes for V23Q3 to check for any breaking changes or required migration steps before upgrading

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

Fix this in Spectrum Power 7 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38557 — 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-2023-38557 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