CVE-2023-46590VulnerabilityPublished 14 Nov 2023Updated 16 Dec 2025

CVE-2023-46590: Siemens OPC UA Modelling Editor (SiOME) · XML External Entity (XXE)

Affects Siemens OPC UA Modelling Editor (SiOME)Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 50% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:P/RL:O/RC:C

Base metrics

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

Temporal metrics

Exploit Code Maturity: Proof-of-Concept
Remediation Level: Official Fix
Report Confidence: Confirmed

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.
Exploit Code Maturity: Proof-of-Concept: Proof-of-concept exploit code is available, or an attack demonstration is not practical for most systems. The code or technique is not functional in all situations and may require substantial modification by a skilled attacker.
Remediation Level: Official Fix: A complete vendor solution is available. Either the vendor has issued an official patch, or an upgrade is available.
Report Confidence: Confirmed: Detailed reports exist, or functional reproduction is possible (functional exploits may provide this). Source code is available to independently verify the assertions of the research, or the author or vendor of the affected code has confirmed the presence of the vulnerability.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Nov 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Upgrade Siemens OPC UA Modelling Editor to version 2.8 or later as soon as it becomes available to ensure the vulnerability is patched. 2. Until patching is possible, disable XML external entity processing in the XML parser configurations used by SiOME, if configurable. 3. Implement strict input validation and sanitization for all XML inputs to prevent malicious entity definitions. 4. Restrict network access to the OPC UA Modelling Editor interface to trusted internal networks only, using firewalls and network segmentation. 5. Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual XML payloads or access patterns indicative of XXE exploitation attempts. 6. Conduct security awareness training for OT personnel to recognize and report suspicious activity. 7. Coordinate with Siemens support for any interim mitigation guidance or hotfixes. 8. Incorporate this vulnerability into vulnerability management and incident response plans to ensure rapid detection and remediation.

Description

CVE-2023-46590 is a high-severity XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability affecting Siemens OPC UA Modelling Editor (SiOME) versions prior to 2.8. This flaw allows unauthenticated remote attackers to exploit improper XML parsing to read arbitrary files on the affected system, potentially exposing sensitive information. The vulnerability does not impact integrity or availability but poses a significant confidentiality risk. Exploitation requires no user interaction and can be performed remotely over the network. No known public exploits exist yet, but the vulnerability is rated with a CVSS score of 7.5, indicating a serious threat. European organizations using Siemens industrial automation tools, especially in critical infrastructure sectors, are at risk. Mitigation involves upgrading to version 2.8 or later once available, or applying strict XML input validation and disabling external entity processing in XML parsers.

Impact

For European organizations, especially those in manufacturing, energy, and critical infrastructure sectors relying on Siemens industrial automation products, this vulnerability poses a significant risk of confidential data exposure. Unauthorized file reads could reveal sensitive operational data, system configurations, or credentials, potentially facilitating further attacks or espionage. Given the widespread use of Siemens products in Europe, particularly in Germany, France, Italy, and the UK, the impact could be substantial. Disclosure of sensitive data could disrupt industrial processes, lead to intellectual property theft, or compromise safety systems indirectly. Although the vulnerability does not allow direct system control or denial of service, the confidentiality breach alone can have severe operational and reputational consequences. The remote, unauthenticated nature of the exploit increases the likelihood of targeted attacks against European OT environments.

Summary

CVE-2023-46590 is an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability classified under CWE-611, found in Siemens OPC UA Modelling Editor (SiOME) versions earlier than 2.8. The vulnerability arises from improper restriction of XML external entity references during XML data processing. An attacker can craft malicious XML input containing external entity definitions that, when processed by the vulnerable application, allow reading of arbitrary files on the host system. This can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive configuration files, credentials, or other critical data stored on the system. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication or user interaction, increasing its risk profile. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5 reflects high confidentiality impact, no impact on integrity or availability, low attack complexity, and no privileges required. Siemens OPC UA Modelling Editor is used in industrial automation environments to model OPC UA information models, making this vulnerability particularly relevant for operational technology (OT) environments. Although no known exploits are currently in the wild, the potential for information disclosure in critical infrastructure environments necessitates urgent attention. The lack of a patch link suggests that a fixed version (2.8 or later) is either pending release or recently released but not linked here. Organizations should monitor Siemens advisories closely.

CWE-611Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A02:2025: Security Misconfiguration (opens in a new tab)
The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.
Implementation · System Configuration
Many XML parsers and validators can be configured to disable external entity expansion.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Deserialization (opens in a new tab)
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
XML External Entity Prevention (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V5.5.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Data Serialization External Entities Blowup (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-197270.pdf (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 23 Dec 2025, 18:33 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-611

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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