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Compact Hmi CVE-2020-8479

CRITICAL
XML Injection (aka Blind XPath Injection) (CWE-91)
2020-04-29 cybersecurity@ch.abb.com
XXE Abb 800Xa System Compact Hmi Control Builder Safe
9.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-91
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization XPath query parameterization
Impact

CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction not required.
Exploit ScenarioDerived

This vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network. Successful exploitation could compromise the critical-severity affected system.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.
No patch listed yet 2.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

For the Central Licensing Server component used in ABB products ABB Ability™ System 800xA and related system extensions versions 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1, Compact HMI versions 5.1 and 6.0, Control Builder. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Apply vendor patches when available. Implement network segmentation and monitoring as interim mitigations.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-91. For the Central Licensing Server component used in ABB products ABB Ability™ System 800xA and related system extensions versions 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1, Compact HMI versions 5.1 and 6.0, Control Builder Safe 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0, Symphony Plus -S+ Operations 3.0 to 3.2 Symphony Plus -S+ Engineering 1.1 to 2.2, Composer Harmony 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1, Melody Composer 5.3, 6.1/6.2 and SPE for Melody 1.0SPx (Composer 6.3), Harmony OPC Server (HAOPC) Standalone 6.0, 6.1 and 7.0, ABB Ability™ System 800xA/ Advant® OCS Control Builder A 1.3 and 1.4, Advant® OCS AC100 OPC Server 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1, Composer CTK 6.1 and 6.2, AdvaBuild 3.7 SP1 and SP2, OPCServer for MOD 300 (non-800xA) 1.4, OPC Data Link 2.1 and 2.2, Knowledge Manager 8.0, 9.0 and 9.1, Manufacturing Operations Management 1812 and 1909, ABB AbilityTM SCADAvantage versions 5.1 to 5.6.5. an XML External Entity Injection vulnerability exists that allows an attacker to read or call arbitrary files from the license server and/or from the network and also block the license handling. Affected products include: Abb 800Xa System, Abb Compact Hmi, Abb Control Builder Safe.

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 9.8 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionNVD

For the Central Licensing Server component used in ABB products ABB Ability™ System 800xA and related system extensions versions 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1, Compact HMI versions 5.1 and 6.0, Control Builder Safe 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0, Symphony Plus -S+ Operations 3.0 to 3.2 Symphony Plus -S+ Engineering 1.1 to 2.2, Composer Harmony 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1, Melody Composer 5.3, 6.1/6.2 and SPE for Melody 1.0SPx (Composer 6.3), Harmony OPC Server (HAOPC) Standalone 6.0, 6.1 and 7.0, ABB Ability™ System 800xA/ Advant® OCS Control Builder A 1.3 and 1.4, Advant® OCS AC100 OPC Server 5.1, 6.0 and 6.1, Composer CTK 6.1 and 6.2, AdvaBuild 3.7 SP1 and SP2, OPCServer for MOD 300 (non-800xA) 1.4, OPC Data Link 2.1 and 2.2, Knowledge Manager 8.0, 9.0 and 9.1, Manufacturing Operations Management 1812 and 1909, ABB AbilityTM SCADAvantage versions 5.1 to 5.6.5. an XML External Entity Injection vulnerability exists that allows an attacker to read or call arbitrary files from the license server and/or from the network and also block the license handling.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
2.2%
Top 20% exploitable
Data Quality
2 sources
Confidence: Low
NVD CVE.org EPSS

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 2.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

51
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +2
CVSS: +49
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

XML External Entity Injection HIGH

XML External Entity (XXE) attacks exploit XML parsers that process Document Type Definitions (DTDs) without proper restrictions.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:5.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:5.1:feature_pack_4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:5.1:feature_pack_4_revision_d:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:5.1:revision_a:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:5.1:revision_b:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:5.1:revision_c:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:5.1:revision_d:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:5.1:revision_e:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:5.1:revision_e_feature_pack_4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:6.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:6.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:800xa_system:6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:compact_hmi:5.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:compact_hmi:5.1:feature_pack_4_revision_d:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:compact_hmi:5.1:revision_b:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:compact_hmi:5.1:revision_d:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:compact_hmi:6.0.1-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:compact_hmi:6.0.3-2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:abb:control_builder_safe:1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
+ 2 more

More in Compact Hmi

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CVE-2020-8471 HIGH
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For the Central Licensing Server component used in ABB products ABB Ability™ System 800xA and related system extensions

CVE-2020-8476 HIGH
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CVE-2020-8475 HIGH
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For the Central Licensing Server component used in ABB products ABB Ability™ System 800xA and related system extensions

Same weakness CWE-91 – XML Injection (aka Blind XPath Injection)

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CVE-2013-7429 CRITICAL POC
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CVE-2019-17626 CRITICAL POC
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CVE-2019-16941 CRITICAL POC
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Same technique XXE

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CVE-2025-58360 CRITICAL POC
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CVE-2025-2775 CRITICAL POC
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CVE-2025-2776 CRITICAL POC
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CVE-2017-12629 CRITICAL POC
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CVE-2016-9563 MEDIUM POC
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CVE-2013-5014 HIGH POC
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CVE-2015-0923 MEDIUM POC
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CVE-2014-0644 HIGH POC
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References

Advisories & patches
ADVISORY https://search.abb.com/library/Download.aspx?DocumentID=2PAA121230&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=Launch ADVISORY https://search.abb.com/library/Download.aspx?DocumentID=2PAA121231&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=Launch REF https://search.abb.com/library/Download.aspx?DocumentID=3CCA2020-003309&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=Launch

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