CVE-2023-39460
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 Event Log Directory Traversal Arbitrary File Creation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to create arbitrary files on affected installations of Triangle MicroWorks SCADA Data Gateway. Although authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability, the existing authentication mechanism can be bypassed. The specific flaw exists within the creation of event logs. 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 in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute code in the context of root. Was ZDI-CAN-20534.
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 confidenceTriangle MicroWorks SCADA Data Gateway contains a directory traversal vulnerability in its event log creation functionality. The application fails to properly validate user-supplied paths before using them in file operations, allowing authenticated attackers to create arbitrary files on the system. Since authentication can be bypassed, unauthored attackers can exploit this, and when chained with other vulnerabilities, can achieve root-level code execution.
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= 5.1.3.20324CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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 installed SCADA Data Gateway versionCheck the application's About page, help menu, or the Windows Programs and Features list for the exact version number of Triangle MicroWorks SCADA Data GatewayAffected if The installed version is exactly 5.1.3.20324 (note: this is the only affected version listed)
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Verify web interface exposureDetermine if the SCADA Data Gateway web interface is accessible from untrusted networks by checking firewall rules, NAT configurations, or network boundary devicesAffected if The web interface (typically on ports 80/443 or custom ports) is exposed to untrusted or internet-facing networks
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Inspect event log configurationReview the application's configuration files or admin panel for event log settings that specify log file pathsAffected if Custom or user-supplied paths can be specified for event log file creation without validation
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Check for anomalous file creationReview file system monitoring alerts or manually inspect directories outside the expected application install path for newly created files with unusual timestamps, especially around the application serverAffected if Files exist in unexpected locations on the system that correlate with the application being active
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Review authentication bypass indicatorsExamine application logs, web server logs, or authentication logs for failed login attempts that succeeded without valid credentials or showed unusual authentication patternsAffected if Successful authentications occur without corresponding valid credential submissions or from unexpected source IPs
You are affected if the installed version is exactly 5.1.3.20324 AND the web interface is accessible to untrusted networks, as authentication can be bypassed to exploit the directory traversal for arbitrary file creation.
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 vendor patches when released. In the interim, restrict network access to the SCADA Data Gateway to trusted sources only and implement file system monitoring to detect anomalous file creation in unexpected locations.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39460 — 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-2023-39460 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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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.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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