CVE-2023-2917
Path Traversal in Rockwellautomation Thinmanager Thinserver 11.0.0 – 11.0.6
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-2917 is a critical-severity Improper Input Validation (CWE-20) vulnerability in Rockwellautomation Thinmanager Thinserver. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Data Obfuscation (T1001); ranked in the top 0.6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
The Rockwell Automation ThinManager ThinServer is affected by an improper input validation vulnerability that manifests as a path traversal flaw. When processing a specific function, the software fails to sanitize the filename field in incoming messages, allowing writes to arbitrary paths on the disk volume hosting ThinServer.exe. The issue is tracked under CWE-20 and CWE-22 and carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the flaw by sending a crafted synchronization-protocol message containing a malicious filename. Successful exploitation permits upload of arbitrary files into the ThinServer installation directory, which may be leveraged for remote code execution. No authentication or user interaction is required, and the attack can be launched over the network.
The vendor has published an advisory at https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/1140471 that addresses the issue. The current EPSS score of 0.4069, with a peak of 0.4128, indicates sustained moderate exploitation interest since disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-34363
Vulnerability Data
The Rockwell Automation Thinmanager Thinserver is impacted by an improper input validation vulnerability. Due to an improper input validation, a path traversal vulnerability exists, via the filename field, when the ThinManager processes a certain function. If exploited, an unauthenticated remote…
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attacker can upload arbitrary files to any directory on the disk drive where ThinServer.exe is installed. A malicious user could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted synchronization protocol message and potentially gain remote code execution abilities.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.3.2
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Directly implements checks on information inputs to reject invalid data before processing.
Security testing and developer training directly verify and enforce proper input validation, reducing exploitability of injection and malformed-data weaknesses.
Security testing and evaluation at multiple SDLC stages directly detects missing or flawed input validation, with the required remediation process ensuring fixes are applied.
Spam protection mechanisms perform filtering and detection on inbound/outbound messages, directly compensating for missing or weak input validation of unsolicited content.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.
PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Hardening callouts derived
DISA STIG baselines are authored against specific weaknesses. Where this CVE cites a broad weakness class, the mapping is not asserted at that abstraction (owner ruling, 2026-09-25: grade only at Base and below), so no rule is shown here rather than a rule shown against the wrong grain.
- No fine-grained STIG row for CWE-20, a class-level weakness, and none of its children carries one either.