CVE-2023-51603
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 · uneditedHoneywell Saia PG5 Controls Suite CAB File Parsing Directory Traversal Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Honeywell Saia PG5 Controls Suite. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of CAB files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied path prior to using it in file operations. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current user. . Was ZDI-CAN-18592.
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 confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability exists in the CAB file parsing functionality of Honeywell Saia PG5 Controls Suite. The parser fails to validate user-supplied paths before performing file operations, allowing an attacker to write files to arbitrary locations on the filesystem. Successful exploitation requires a user to open a malicious CAB file, enabling code execution in the context of the current user.
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 dataall versions= 2.3.193CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if Honeywell Saia PG5 Controls Suite is installedLook for the software in typical installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Honeywell\Saia PG5 or C:\Program Files (x86)\Honeywell\Saia PG5. Check the Windows Programs and Features list (Add/Remove Programs) for an entry named 'Honeywell Saia PG5 Controls Suite'.Affected if The software is present on the system
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Determine the installed version of Saia PG5 Controls SuiteIf installed, locate the version information. Right-click the application executable (commonly named PG5.exe or similar in the installation folder), select Properties, and review the Details tab for the Product Version. Alternatively, check the software's built-in About or Help menu.Affected if The version matches any installed release (note: vendor states all versions are affected)
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Identify if CAB file handling features are usedReview the software documentation or interface to determine if CAB file parsing or extraction features are available or commonly used in your workflows. Check project configurations or import/export functions for CAB file references.Affected if CAB file parsing features are accessible to users (the vulnerability triggers upon opening a malicious CAB file)
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Verify user access to CAB file operationsExamine which user accounts have permissions to use the Saia PG5 software and its file import features. Determine whether standard users can open or import CAB files within the application.Affected if Standard users can open CAB files within the application (exploitation requires a user to open a malicious file)
If Honeywell Saia PG5 Controls Suite is installed and users can open CAB files within the application, the environment is affected since all versions are vulnerable to directory traversal during CAB file parsing.
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 dataApply the vendor-supplied patch for this vulnerability when available. In the interim, implement strict path validation and sanitization for CAB file extraction, using allowlists for permitted paths and blocking path traversal sequences (..).
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-51603 — 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-2023-51603 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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- 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
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