CVE-2023-46144
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 · uneditedA download of code without integrity check vulnerability in PLCnext products allows an remote attacker with low privileges to compromise integrity on the affected engineering station and the connected devices.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in PLCnext products allows remote attackers with low privileges to download and execute code without integrity verification. The lack of cryptographic checksums or code signing enables malicious code injection into the engineering station software and propagation to connected PLC devices, compromising system integrity.
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<= 2024.0<= 2024.0<= 2024.0<= 2024.0<= 2024.0<= 2024.0<= 2024.0<= 2024.0CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 PLCnext product and versionAccess the device web interface or use the PLCnext Engineer software to determine the exact model number and firmware/software version. For firmware, you can often find this in the device's web-based management console under 'Device Information' or 'System Overview'.Affected if The product model matches one of the affected devices (Axc F 1152, Axc F 2152, Axc F 3152, Bpc 9102s, Epc 1502, Epc 1522, Rfc 4072r) AND the firmware version is 2024.0 or lower, OR the PLCnext Engineer software version is 2024.0 or lower.
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Verify if low-privilege user accounts existCheck the user management or user administration section in the PLCnext web interface or PLCnext Engineer software. Look for user accounts with limited privileges that have permissions related to project or firmware downloads.Affected if Low-privilege user accounts exist that have permissions to initiate code or firmware download operations without elevated administrative rights.
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Check for code signing or integrity verification configurationIn the PLCnext Engineer software, navigate to Project Settings or Security Settings. Look for options related to code signing, cryptographic checksums, or integrity verification for firmware and project downloads. Also check the device web interface under Security or Firmware Update settings.Affected if No code signing, cryptographic checksum verification, or integrity checks are enabled or configured for firmware and project downloads.
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Audit download and update permissionsReview the user role permissions or access control lists to determine which user roles can perform firmware updates, project downloads, or code deployment to PLC devices. Document which privilege levels can trigger these operations.Affected if Users with low or standard privileges can initiate firmware or project downloads without requiring administrative approval or additional verification.
You are likely affected if you run any of the listed PLCnext products with firmware or software version 2024.0 or lower AND low-privilege users can perform code/firmware downloads without integrity verification enabled.
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.
dbcve · scopedImplement code signing and integrity verification for all firmware and project downloads, and restrict low-privilege users from initiating code download operations until patches are applied.
Firmware/Software version 2024.1 or later (or latest stable release beyond 2024.0)
- Identify the specific affected device or software component from the affected products list (Axc F 1152/2152/3152, Bpc 9102s, Epc 1502/1522, Plcnext Engineer, or Rfc 4072r)
- Navigate to the Phoenix Contact product support page for the affected device or software
- Download the latest firmware version (2024.1 or later) or software version that includes the integrity check fix
- Review release notes to confirm the CVE-2023-46144 vulnerability is addressed
- Follow Phoenix Contact's standard firmware/software update procedure for the specific device
- Verify the update was applied successfully by checking the firmware/software version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-46144 — 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-2023-46144 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data