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Full vulnerability report · 2022
CVE-2021-40360High confidence

Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.2 — Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Siemens · SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.2

8.8HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
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-914168 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 4 · finalSiemens ProductCERTSSA-914168: Multiple Vulnerabilities in SIMATIC WinCC Affecting Other SIMATIC Software Products
8 known affected

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

  • SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.2
  • SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0
  • SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.1
  • SIMATIC WinCC V15 and earlier
  • SIMATIC WinCC V16
  • SIMATIC WinCC V17
  • SIMATIC WinCC V7.4
  • SIMATIC WinCC V7.5
Summary
The password hash of a local user account in the remote server could be granted via public API to a user on the affected system. An authenticated attacker could brute force the password hash and use it to login to the server.
Remediation
Update to V16 Update 5 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.

Select the national-authority views to include. The exact source language is shown on each matched advisory. Your choice is remembered on this device and encoded in the shareable URL.

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-2021-27538

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 actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.2 (All versions), SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0 (All versions), SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.1 (All versions < V9.1 SP1), SIMATIC WinCC V15 and earlier (All versions < V15 SP1 Update 7), SIMATIC WinCC V16 (All versions < V16 Update 5), SIMATIC WinCC V17 (All versions < V17 Update 2), SIMATIC WinCC V7.4 (All versions < V7.4 SP1 Update 19), SIMATIC WinCC V7.5 (All versions < V7.5 SP2 Update 6). The password hash of a local user account in the remote server could be granted via public API to a user on the affected system. An authenticated attacker could brute force the password hash and use it to login to the server.

What

A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.2 (All versions), SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0 (All versions), SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.1 (All versions < V9.1 SP1), SIMATIC WinCC V15 and earlier (All versions < V15 SP1 Update 7), SIMATIC WinCC V16 (All versions < V16 Update 5), SIMATIC WinCC V17 (All versions < V17 Update 2), SIMATIC WinCC V7.4 (All versions < V7.4 SP1 Update 19), SIMATIC WinCC V7.5 (All versions < V7.5 SP2 Update 6). The password hash of a local user account in the remote server could be granted via public API to a user on the affected system. An authenticated attacker could brute force the password hash and use it to login to the server.

Why

The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.2 (All versions), SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0 (All versions), SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.1 (All versions < V9.1 SP1), SIMATIC WinCC V15 and earlier (All versions < V15 SP1 Update 7), SIMATIC WinCC V16 (All versions < V16 Update 5), SIMATIC WinCC V17 (All versions < V17 Update 2), SIMATIC WinCC V7.4 (All versions < V7.4 SP1 Update 19), SIMATIC WinCC V7.5 (All versions < V7.5 SP2 Update 6). The password hash of a local user account in the remote server could be granted via public API to a user on the affected system. An authenticated attacker could brute force the password hash and use it to login to the server.

Why

The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. 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 → Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
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-200 ↗

CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor. The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.

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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
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.
NetworkCWE-200
A

Official authority intelligence

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

CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2022-AVI-124Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits Siemens

d?id=CVE-2021-37195 Référence CVE CVE-2021-37196 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37196 Référence CVE CVE-2021-37197 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37197 Référence CVE CVE-2021-37198 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37198 Référence CVE CVE-2021-37204 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37204 Référence CVE CVE-2021-37205 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37205 Référence CVE CVE-2021-38405 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-38405 Référence CVE CVE-2021-40358 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-40358 Référence CVE CVE-2021-40359 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-40359 Référence CVE CVE-2021-40360 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-40360 Référence CVE CVE-2021-40363 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-40363 Référence CVE CVE-2021-40364 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-40364 Référence CVE CVE-2021-41990 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-41990 Référence CVE CVE-2021-41991 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-41991 Référence CVE CVE-2021-43336 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-43336 Référence CVE CVE-2021-44000 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-44000 Référence CVE CVE-2021-44016 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-44016 Référence CVE CVE-2021-44018 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=

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.
Patch available
Affected
SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.2; SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.0; SIMATIC PCS 7 V9.1; SIMATIC WinCC V15 and earlier; SIMATIC WinCC V16; SIMATIC WinCC V17; SIMATIC WinCC V7.4; SIMATIC WinCC V7.5
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.
Action
Update to V16 Update 5 or later version
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 9 Feb 2022 · Last source change 4 Aug 2024, 02:44 UTC · CWE-200 · Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

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-2021-27538
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 →

No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.

Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-27538↗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-2021-40360 · cve.blacktree.nl