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Full vulnerability report · 2021
CVE-2021-37172High confidence

A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU family (incl

Siemens · SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants)

7.5HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Patch only the product branches with a verified fix

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:High, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
  • EPSS is 0.92% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Siemens SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants) and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 30 daysRemediation target: Within 180 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Cross-source reconciliation

Remediation availability differs by product scope

Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
SSA-830194 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 2 · finalSiemens ProductCERTSSA-830194: Missing Authentication Vulnerability in S7-1200 Devices
1 known affected

The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.

  • SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants)
Summary
Affected devices fail to authenticate against configured passwords when provisioned using TIA Portal V13. This could allow an attacker using TIA Portal V13 or later versions to bypass authentication and download arbitrary programs to the PLC. The vulnerability does not occur when TIA Portal V13 SP1 or any later version was used to provision the device.
Remediation
Update to V4.5.1 or later version
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2021-23746

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionPatch only the product branches with a verified fix

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
01

What, why and how

A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants) (V4.5.0). Affected devices fail to authenticate against configured passwords when provisioned using TIA Portal V13. This could allow an attacker using TIA Portal V13 or later versions to bypass authentication and download arbitrary programs to the PLC. The vulnerability does not occur when TIA Portal V13 SP1 or any later version was used to provision the device.

What

A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants) (V4.5.0). Affected devices fail to authenticate against configured passwords when provisioned using TIA Portal V13. This could allow an attacker using TIA Portal V13 or later versions to bypass authentication and download arbitrary programs to the PLC. The vulnerability does not occur when TIA Portal V13 SP1 or any later version was used to provision the device.

Why

The affected component does not establish the requesting party's identity reliably before granting access.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants) (V4.5.0). Affected devices fail to authenticate against configured passwords when provisioned using TIA Portal V13. This could allow an attacker using TIA Portal V13 or later versions to bypass authentication and download arbitrary programs to the PLC. The vulnerability does not occur when TIA Portal V13 SP1 or any later version was used to provision the device.

Why

The affected component does not establish the requesting party's identity reliably before granting access.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Improper Authentication → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-287 ↗

CWE-287: Improper Authentication. When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CNoneConfidentiality impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkUnauthenticatedCWE-287
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20210811Security Bulletin 11 Aug 2021

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 11 Aug 2021, published on 11 August 2021. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2021-AVI-608Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits Siemens

d?id=CVE-2021-32940 Référence CVE CVE-2021-32944 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-32944 Référence CVE CVE-2021-32946 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-32946 Référence CVE CVE-2021-32948 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-32948 Référence CVE CVE-2021-32950 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-32950 Référence CVE CVE-2021-32952 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-32952 Référence CVE CVE-2021-33717 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-33717 Référence CVE CVE-2021-33721 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-33721 Référence CVE CVE-2021-33738 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-33738 Référence CVE CVE-2021-37172 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37172 Référence CVE CVE-2021-37178 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37178 Référence CVE CVE-2021-37179 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37179 Référence CVE CVE-2021-37180 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37180 Gestion détaillée du document le 10 août 2021 Version initiale Alertes Avis Bulletins d’actualités Mentions légales Conditions générales À propos Contact cyber.gouv.fr service-public.fr legifrance.gouv.fr info.gouv.fr france.fr info.gouv.fr/risques Premier Ministre / Secrétariat Général de la Défense et de la Sécurité Nationale / Agence nationale de la sécurité des sy

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2021-010546SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU ファミリにおける認証に関する脆弱性

SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU ファミリ (SIPLUS variants を含む) には、認証に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix availability varies by product
Affected
SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants)
Fixed
Update to V4.5.1 or later version
Action
Use the product-specific evidence above. Patch only products with a verified fixed release, and keep every affected or under-investigation state without a matching fix in the remediation queue.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 10 Aug 2021 · Last source change 4 Aug 2024, 01:16 UTC · CWE-287 · Improper Authentication

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-23746
Product sourceVendor CSAF · Siemens ProductCERT
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · Siemens ProductCERT
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    V4.5.0 · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    After
    V4.5.0 · Fixed: Update to V4.5.1 or later version
    Siemens ProductCERT ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
Fixed release recorded from official guidance
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-23746↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2021-37172 · cve.blacktree.nl