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Deserialization of Untrusted DataWeakness · CWE-502

CVE-2024-3468

HIGH · 8.4 CVSS v4.0 Published 2024-06-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
88/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable

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
There is a vulnerability in AVEVA PI Web API that could allow malicious code to execute on the PI Web API environment under the privileges of an interactive user that was socially engineered to use API XML import functionality with content supplied by an attacker.

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

This is a code injection vulnerability in AVEVA PI Web API where attackers can achieve remote code execution by tricking authenticated users into importing malicious XML content through the API's XML import functionality. The malicious code executes with the privileges of the user who was socially engineered to perform the import.

MitigationRestrict or disable the XML import functionality if not required, implement strict input validation and sanitization on XML imports, and provide security awareness training to prevent social engineering attacks targeting this feature.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
Authentication
X
User interaction
A
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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 AVEVA PI Web API installation
    Locate the PI Web API installation directory, typically under the AVEVA program folder, or check the Windows Services list for 'PI Web API' service and note the installed version from the program files or registry
    Affected if AVEVA PI Web API is present and version is within affected ranges (compare to official AVEVA security advisory for specific versions)
  2. Verify XML import functionality is accessible
    Check if the XML import endpoint is enabled in the PI Web API configuration. Review the web.config or appsettings.json for XML import module settings, and confirm the API route for XML import is not disabled
    Affected if XML import functionality is enabled and accessible to authenticated users
  3. Review API access controls and authentication settings
    Examine PI Web API authentication configuration to determine which users or groups have permission to use the XML import feature. Check for overly permissive XML import role assignments
    Affected if Authenticated users (including low-privilege users) have permission to perform XML imports
  4. Inspect recent XML import activity in logs
    Review PI Web API logs (located in the logging directory) for XML import operations. Look for imports from unexpected sources, unusual XML file names, or imports occurring outside normal business hours
    Affected if Recent XML import activities exist that were initiated by users who may have been socially engineered
  5. Check for unauthorized code execution indicators
    Examine Windows Event Logs and PI System audit logs for evidence of command execution, script spawning, or unexpected process creation that correlates with XML import activity
    Affected if Suspicious processes or commands were spawned following XML import operations

Your environment is affected if AVEVA PI Web API is running with XML import functionality enabled and authenticated users have permissions to use it, particularly if there is evidence of unauthorized XML imports or unexpected code execution.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict or disable the XML import functionality if not required, implement strict input validation and sanitization on XML imports, and provide security awareness training to prevent social engineering attacks targeting this feature.

Have this fixed 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-2024-3468 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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