CVE-2023-39459
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 · uneditedTriangle MicroWorks SCADA Data Gateway Directory Traversal Arbitrary File Creation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to create arbitrary files on affected installations of Triangle MicroWorks SCADA Data Gateway. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the processing of workspace files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied path prior to using it in file operations. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to create files in the context of Administrator. Was ZDI-CAN-20531.
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 confidenceTriangle MicroWorks SCADA Data Gateway contains a directory traversal vulnerability in its workspace file processing. The application fails to properly validate user-supplied paths, allowing attackers to use directory traversal sequences (e.g., ../) to write arbitrary files to the filesystem with Administrator privileges via a malicious workspace file.
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= 5.1.3CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed SCADA Data Gateway versionOpen the Triangle MicroWorks SCADA Data Gateway application and navigate to Help > About, or check the application executable (typically installed in Program Files) right-click > Properties > Version tabAffected if The installed version is 5.1.3 exactly, as this is the known affected version
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Confirm workspace file functionality is presentLook for workspace file import/open functionality in the application menu (typically File > Open Workspace or similar) and verify the .twsp or workspace file handler exists in the installation directoryAffected if Workspace file processing features are available and accessible to users, which is required for the exploit vector
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Verify application runs with elevated privilegesOpen Windows Task Manager, find the SCADA Data Gateway service/process, right-click and select Run as administrator or check the service properties for Log On as settingAffected if The application runs with Administrator privileges or as a service account with elevated file system write access, which is required for the arbitrary file write condition
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Review application logs for directory traversal indicatorsCheck application log files in the installation directory (typically in a Logs or Data subfolder) for entries containing ../ sequences or unusual file write operations to unexpected pathsAffected if Logs contain evidence of directory traversal patterns or unexpected file writes outside the intended workspace directory
You are affected if the installed version is exactly 5.1.3 and the application has workspace file import functionality accessible to users with elevated privileges.
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 dataApply available vendor patches for SCADA Data Gateway and ensure users do not open untrusted workspace files from unknown sources.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39459 — 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-2023-39459 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
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