dbcve.org
IgnitionApplication · Inductiveautomation

CVE-2023-50220

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.1.35 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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
Inductive Automation Ignition Base64Element Deserialization of Untrusted Data Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Inductive Automation Ignition. Authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the Base64Element class. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in deserialization of untrusted data. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-21801.

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

The vulnerability exists in the Base64Element class of Inductive Automation Ignition where improper validation of user-supplied data allows deserialization of untrusted data. Successful exploitation requires valid authentication but enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the SYSTEM account, achieving full remote code execution on the affected installation.

MitigationRestrict network access to Ignition management interfaces and ensure authentication credentials are properly secured; apply vendor-supplied patches immediately when available and verify the Base64Element class is not exposed to untrusted inputs.

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
IgnitionApplication
Affected:>= 8.1.0, < 8.1.35

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Ignition is installed
    Check for the presence of Inductive Automation Ignition installation directories (typically in C:\Program Files\Inductive Automation\Ignition on Windows or /var/lib/ignition on Linux). Also check running services for 'Ignition' or 'gwcmd' processes.
    Affected if Ignition software is found running on the system
  2. Determine installed version
    Locate the version information in the Ignition installation. Check the 'version.json' file in the installation directory, or access the Gateway status page (typically http://localhost:8088/main/status) which displays the version in the footer. Alternatively, check the 'manifest.json' or 'about' page in the Gateway.
    Affected if The installed version is >= 8.1.0 and < 8.1.35
  3. Verify Gateway web interface exposure
    Inspect network configuration to determine if the Ignition Gateway web interface (port 8088 default HTTP, or 8043 default HTTPS) is bound to non-loopback addresses or exposed to untrusted networks. Check firewall rules and gateway-config.xml for bind addresses.
    Affected if The Gateway HTTP/HTTPS ports are accessible from non-localhost addresses
  4. Confirm authentication is enabled
    Access the Ignition Gateway configuration and navigate to 'Security > Authentication' settings. Verify that authentication is required for accessing the Gateway and Designer interfaces. Check if anonymous access or guest accounts are enabled.
    Affected if Anonymous access is enabled or authentication is otherwise bypassed for Gateway access
  5. Review deserialization settings
    Examine the Ignition Gateway configuration files (particularly gateway-config.xml) for any custom serialization/deserialization settings related to Base64Element class handling. Check if any third-party modules that might expose the vulnerable class are installed.
    Affected if Custom deserialization configurations exist or vulnerable modules expose the Base64Element class

The environment is affected if Ignition version is >= 8.1.0 and < 8.1.35 AND the Gateway interface is network-accessible with valid authentication credentials available.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.1.35 or later
Fixed in 8.1.35
Interim mitigation

Restrict network access to Ignition management interfaces and ensure authentication credentials are properly secured; apply vendor-supplied patches immediately when available and verify the Base64Element class is not exposed to untrusted inputs.

Recommended fix High confidence

8.1.35 or later

  1. Backup your Ignition installation and database before proceeding with any upgrade
  2. Download Ignition version 8.1.35 or later from the official Inductive Automation website (inductiveautomation.com) or your licensed customer portal
  3. Stop the Ignition Gateway service
  4. Install the new version using the standard Ignition upgrade procedure
  5. Start the Ignition Gateway service after installation completes
  6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Gateway status and version number in the Gateway Control Hub or web UI
  7. Confirm the Base64Element vulnerability is resolved by reviewing the release notes for version 8.1.35
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes between your current version and 8.1.35 before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ignition Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2023-50220 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