dbcve.org
IgnitionApplication · Inductiveautomation

CVE-2023-50222

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 →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Inductive Automation Ignition ResponseParser Notification Deserialization of Untrusted Data Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Inductive Automation Ignition. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must connect to a malicious server. The specific flaw exists within the ResponseParser method. 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 the current user. Was ZDI-CAN-22067.

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 confidence

The vulnerability exists in the ResponseParser method of Inductive Automation Ignition, where improper validation of user-supplied data allows deserialization of untrusted data. This deserialization flaw can be triggered when a user connects to a malicious server, enabling remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches for Ignition and avoid connecting to untrusted servers. Implement network segmentation and restrict outbound connections to only legitimate Ignition gateways.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 installed Ignition version
    Access the Ignition Gateway web interface, go to the Status page, or check the gateway's about section. Alternatively, inspect the ignition.xml configuration file or check the installation directory for version information.
    Affected if The installed version is 8.1.0 through 8.1.34 (inclusive)
  2. Verify Gateway network connectivity
    Review network firewall rules and Gateway network configuration to determine if outbound connections to untrusted or unknown servers are possible.
    Affected if The Gateway can initiate outbound connections to servers that are not explicitly trusted or within a controlled network segment
  3. Check for external Gateway client connections
    Inspect Gateway logs for connection attempts from external or unrecognized Gateway servers, particularly looking for instances where this Gateway acts as a client connecting to remote servers.
    Affected if The Gateway is configured to connect to or has recently connected to remote servers that are not within your trusted network infrastructure
  4. Review deserialization settings
    Examine the Gateway configuration files (particularly ignition.xml) for any non-standard deserialization settings or custom serializer configurations in the ResponseParser-related settings.
    Affected if Non-default serialization configurations are present that may weaken the deserialization protection in the ResponseParser

You are affected if your Ignition version is 8.1.0 through 8.1.34 AND your Gateway can connect to untrusted external servers, as the vulnerability is exploited through client connections to malicious servers.

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

Apply vendor-provided patches for Ignition and avoid connecting to untrusted servers. Implement network segmentation and restrict outbound connections to only legitimate Ignition gateways.

Recommended fix High confidence

Ignition 8.1.35 or later

  1. 1. Back up the Ignition gateway configuration and any critical project files before proceeding with the upgrade.
  2. 2. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade will require a brief service interruption.
  3. 3. Download the Ignition 8.1.35 (or later) installer from the official Inductive Automation website at inductiveautomation.com.
  4. 4. Stop the Ignition gateway service on the affected server.
  5. 5. Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade the existing Ignition installation.
  6. 6. After installation completes, start the Ignition gateway service.
  7. 7. Verify the gateway is operational and check that the version shows 8.1.35 or later.
  8. 8. Test critical applications and workflows to ensure functionality is intact after the upgrade.

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

Fix this in Ignition Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
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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-2023-50222 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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