CVE-2023-4204
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 · uneditedNPort IAW5000A-I/O Series firmware version v2.2 and prior is affected by a hardcoded credential vulnerabilitywhich poses a potential risk to the security and integrity of the affected device. This vulnerability is attributed to the presence of a hardcoded key, which could potentially facilitate firmware manipulation.
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 confidenceThe NPort IAW5000A-I/O Series contains a hardcoded credential/key embedded in firmware versions v2.2 and prior. This backdoor-like credential can be extracted by attackers and used to gain unauthorized administrative access to the device, potentially allowing firmware manipulation and complete compromise of the industrial IoT device.
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<= 2.2CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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.
-
Confirm device modelAccess the device web interface, console, or SNMP interface and verify the exact model is Moxa NPort IAW5000A-I/O SeriesAffected if Device is not an Moxa NPort IAW5000A-I/O Series model
-
Check installed firmware versionNavigate to the device's system information page in the web interface or use the console command to retrieve the firmware versionAffected if Firmware version is 2.2 or any version prior to 2.2
-
Locate firmware version via SNMPQuery the device using SNMP OID for firmware version (typically snmpwalk on OID .1.3.6.1.2.1.1.1 or device-specific OID)Affected if SNMP response returns a version string indicating v2.2 or lower
-
Verify hardcoded credential presenceExtract and examine the firmware binary (if accessible via TFTP, FTP, or device backup) for embedded default credentials or check if known default credentials provide admin accessAffected if A hardcoded credential is found in the firmware or default credentials successfully authenticate as administrator
The environment is affected if the device is an Moxa NPort IAW5000A-I/O Series running firmware version 2.2 or earlier, and a hardcoded credential is present or usable for admin access.
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 dataOrganizations should immediately check if a vendor firmware update is available that removes the hardcoded credential. If no patch exists, implement compensating controls such as network segmentation, strict access control lists, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to these devices.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $9,504.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-4204 — 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-2023-4204 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
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.
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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data