CVE-2023-5390VulnerabilityPublished 31 Jan 2024Updated 29 May 2025

CVE-2023-5390: Honeywell ControlEdge UOC · CWE-36

Affects Honeywell ControlEdge UOCSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

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

EPSS: 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 46% 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:L/I:N/A:N

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

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: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 31 Jan 2024
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 2026-10-26.

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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Honeywell ControlEdge UOC	Affected =520.2 =510.1 =520.1 =511.1	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

European organizations should prioritize upgrading Honeywell ControlEdge UOC devices to the latest firmware versions as recommended by Honeywell to eliminate the vulnerability. In addition to patching, network segmentation should be enforced to isolate ICS devices from general enterprise networks and the internet, minimizing exposure. Implement strict access controls and monitoring on ICS network traffic to detect anomalous file access attempts. Employ intrusion detection systems (IDS) tailored for ICS environments to identify exploitation attempts. Regularly audit device configurations and file system permissions to ensure no unnecessary file exposure. Where possible, restrict remote access to the ControlEdge UOC devices using VPNs with strong authentication and limit access to trusted personnel. Conduct security awareness training for ICS operators to recognize and report suspicious activity. Finally, maintain an incident response plan specific to ICS environments to quickly address any exploitation attempts.

Description

An attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to files being read from the Honeywell Experion ControlEdge VirtualUOC and ControlEdge UOC. This exploit could be used to read files from the controller that may expose limited information from the device. Honeywell recommends updating to the most recent version of the product. See Honeywell Security Notification for recommendations on upgrading and versioning.

Impact

For European organizations operating industrial control systems that incorporate Honeywell ControlEdge UOC devices, this vulnerability poses a risk of unauthorized disclosure of sensitive configuration or operational files. While the immediate impact is limited to confidentiality, the leaked information could facilitate more sophisticated attacks, such as targeted intrusions or sabotage, especially in critical infrastructure sectors like energy, manufacturing, and utilities. The lack of required authentication and user interaction increases the risk of remote exploitation. Given the strategic importance of ICS in European critical infrastructure, even limited information disclosure could have cascading effects on operational security and resilience. Organizations may face regulatory scrutiny under frameworks like NIS2 and GDPR if sensitive operational data is exposed. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the vulnerability should be addressed promptly to prevent potential exploitation.

CWE-36Absolute Path Traversal (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize absolute path sequences such as "/abs/path" that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
Implementation · Input Validation
Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174).
Operation · Firewall
Use an application firewall that can detect attacks against this weakness. It can be beneficial in cases in which the code cannot be fixed (because it is controlled by a third party), as an emergency prevention measure while more comprehensive software assurance measures are applied, or to provide defense in depth.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V12.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Absolute Path Traversal (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 8 Jul 2025, 01:12 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-36

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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