dbcve.org
PowerdesignerApplication · Sap

CVE-2023-40621

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-09-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
70/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
SAP PowerDesigner Client - version 16.7, allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject VBScript code in a document and have it opened by an unsuspecting user, to have it executed by the application on behalf of the user. The application has a security option to disable or prompt users before untrusted scripts are executed, but this is not set as default.

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 confidence

SAP PowerDesigner Client version 16.7 contains an unauthenticated VBScript injection vulnerability where attackers can embed malicious VBScript code into documents. When a user opens these documents, the embedded script executes with the user's privileges. The application includes a security option to disable or prompt before untrusted scripts run, but this protection is not enabled by default.

MitigationEnable the built-in security option in SAP PowerDesigner Client that disables or prompts before untrusted VBScript execution. Alternatively, implement controls to prevent users from opening documents from untrusted sources.

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
PowerdesignerApplication
Affected:= 16.7

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

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. Confirm SAP PowerDesigner Client version
    Open the application and navigate to Help > About, or right-click the executable and view Properties to verify the installed version is 16.7
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 16.7
  2. Locate the VBScript security setting
    Access the application security or preferences menu - typically under Tools > Options > Security or similar path within PowerDesigner Client
    Affected if The security option to disable or prompt before untrusted VBScript execution is disabled or not configured (default state)
  3. Identify document handling behavior
    Check if the application is configured to automatically open documents from various sources without security warnings
    Affected if Documents from untrusted sources can be opened without security prompts or script execution blocks

A user is affected if they are running SAP PowerDesigner Client version 16.7 AND the VBScript security protection option remains disabled (the default state), allowing embedded scripts to execute automatically when opening documents.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Enable the built-in security option in SAP PowerDesigner Client that disables or prompts before untrusted VBScript execution. Alternatively, implement controls to prevent users from opening documents from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Locate the PowerDesigner security settings (typically found in Tools > General Options > Security or similar menu path depending on exact client version)
  2. Enable the security option to either disable VBScript execution from untrusted documents or configure it to always prompt before executing any scripts
  3. Save and apply the security settings
  4. Restart PowerDesigner to ensure the new security configuration takes effect
  5. Verify the setting is enabled by attempting to open a test document with embedded script to confirm the application prompts or blocks execution

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

Fix this in Powerdesigner Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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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-2023-40621 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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