# What is CVE-2020-15791? > CVE-2020-15791 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.5) in Simatic S7-300 CPU 312 Firmware from Siemens, published on 9 September 2020. It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts its chance of use in the next 30 days at 0.7%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix. Canonical page: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/what-is/cve-2020-15791 ## At a glance - **Verdict:** Plan it in. No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle. - **Precursor Intelligence risk score:** 24 out of 100 (Low); action: Monitor. Kept up to date as the evidence changes. - **Severity:** Medium (CVSS 6.5 out of 10) - **Known to be exploited:** No, not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today - **Chance of use in the next 30 days:** 0.7% (latest exploit-likelihood forecast) - **Published:** 9 September 2020 - **Record last updated:** 14 December 2020 - **Main product:** Simatic S7-300 CPU 312 Firmware from Siemens - **Affected products:** 28 ## What is CVE-2020-15791? In plain terms An attacker has to be on the same local network without logging in, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can read data. ### The official description A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC S7-300 CPU family (incl. related ET200 CPUs and SIPLUS variants) (All versions), SIMATIC S7-400 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions), SIMATIC WinAC RTX (F) 2010 (All versions), SINUMERIK 840D sl (All versions). The authentication protocol between a client and a PLC via port 102/tcp (ISO-TSAP) insufficiently protects the transmitted password. This could allow an attacker that is able to intercept the network traffic to obtain valid PLC credentials. ### What kind of flaw is it? - CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials ### How an attack on it works - Where an attacker can be: On the same local network - How hard it is to pull off: Easy: no special conditions - Login needed first: No login needed - Does someone have to click: No, nobody has to do anything - What an attacker gets: Can read data Severity vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N` ## Is CVE-2020-15791 being exploited? Not that we know of It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 0.7%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching. Exploit likelihood over the last 7 days: 0.7%, 0.7%, 0.7%, 0.7%, 0.7%, 0.7%, 0.7%. ### Timeline - 9 September 2020: Published - 14 December 2020: Record last updated ### How Precursor Intelligence ranks it CVE-2020-15791 scores **24 out of 100 (Low)**, with the action "Monitor". Every published flaw gets a risk score from 0 to 100, kept up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, from the one that counts most to the ones that count less: - Evidence it is being exploited: biggest factor - How severe it is: strong factor - How widely exposed it is: smaller factor - Threat activity around it: smaller factor 85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score. When this flaw matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it. ## Who is affected by CVE-2020-15791? The published record lists 28 products. - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 312 Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_312_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 312](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_312) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 314](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_314) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 314 Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_314_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 315-2 Dp](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_315-2_dp) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 315-2 Dp Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_315-2_dp_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 315-2 Pn](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_315-2_pn) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 315-2 Pn Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_315-2_pn_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 315f-2 Dp](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_315f-2_dp) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 315f-2 Dp Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_315f-2_dp_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 315f-2 Pn](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_315f-2_pn) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 315f-2 Pn Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_315f-2_pn_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 317-2 Dp](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_317-2_dp) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 317-2 Dp Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_317-2_dp_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 317-2 Pn](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_317-2_pn) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 317-2 Pn Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_317-2_pn_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 317f-2 Dp](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_317f-2_dp) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 317f-2 Dp Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_317f-2_dp_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 317f-2 Pn](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_317f-2_pn) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-300 CPU 317f-2 Pn Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-300_cpu_317f-2_pn_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-400 CPU 412](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-400_cpu_412) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-400 CPU 412 Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-400_cpu_412_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-400 CPU 414](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-400_cpu_414) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-400 CPU 414 Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-400_cpu_414_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-400 CPU 416](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-400_cpu_416) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-400 CPU 416 Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-400_cpu_416_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions - [Simatic S7-400 CPU 417](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-400_cpu_417) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Hardware): version not specified - [Simatic S7-400 CPU 417 Firmware](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/product/siemens/simatic_s7-400_cpu_417_firmware) by [Siemens](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/vendors/siemens) (Operating system): all versions ## How do I fix CVE-2020-15791? 1. **Check whether you run it.** Compare your versions with the affected products above. Not sure what you run? Precursor Intelligence can work it out from your public website, or you can pick it from a list. 2. **Apply the vendor’s fix.** Install the update named in the vendor’s advisory. We’ve put the advisory first in the list. 3. **If you can’t patch today.** Follow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in. 4. **Keep an eye on it.** Track the product and we tell you as soon as we spot this flaw on the list of exploited flaws, or a jump in its exploit likelihood. ### References - [cert-portal.siemens.com](https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-381684.pdf) (Vendor advisory) ## Questions ### What is CVE-2020-15791? CVE-2020-15791 is a medium-severity flaw in Simatic S7-300 CPU 312 Firmware from Siemens, published on 9 September 2020. An attacker has to be on the same local network without logging in, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can read data. ### How serious is CVE-2020-15791? It scores 6.5 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is medium. Our risk score for CVE-2020-15791 is 24 out of 100, which is Low. Its action is "Monitor". No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle. ### Is CVE-2020-15791 being exploited? It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 0.7%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching. ### Which versions does CVE-2020-15791 affect? For Simatic S7-300 CPU 312 Firmware from Siemens: all versions. The record lists 28 products in all, each with its versions, under "Who is affected" on this page. ### How do I fix CVE-2020-15791? Install the update the vendor names in its advisory, linked first under "How do I fix" on this page. If you can't patch today, follow the vendor's mitigation and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet. ## Does CVE-2020-15791 affect you? Precursor Intelligence keeps checking for you: - **Tell us what you run.** Pick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website. - **We match it to every flaw.** Over 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list. - **Ranked by real-world risk.** Every flaw gets a 0 to 100 risk score, kept up to date, led by evidence criminals are using it. - **Told as soon as we know.** An alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools. Start free (no card, nothing to install): https://www.precursorintelligence.com/register Book a demo: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/contact