Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-45852

RCE in Viessmann Vitogate 300 Firmware ≤ 2.1.3.0

Public PoCRCECommand Injection
Published
14 October 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.14 96th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-45852 is a critical-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Viessmann Vitogate 300 Firmware. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 4% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2023-45852 is a command-injection vulnerability in Vitogate 300 version 2.1.3.0. Unauthenticated attackers can reach the /cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi endpoint and supply shell metacharacters inside the ipaddr field of a JSON put request, bypassing all authentication checks and executing arbitrary operating-system commands.

Remote, unauthenticated attackers can therefore obtain a root shell on the affected gateway, allowing them to read or modify configuration data, pivot into connected building-automation networks, or install persistent malware.

Public references consist of the vendor product page and a detailed proof-of-concept published on GitHub; neither source describes an official patch or configuration workaround.

The CVE carries a CVSS score of 9.8 and an EPSS score of 0.9359, indicating a high likelihood of exploitation in the wild.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In Vitogate 300 2.1.3.0, /cgi-bin/vitogate.cgi allows an unauthenticated attacker to bypass authentication and execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in the ipaddr params JSON data for the put method.

CWE(s)
CWE-77

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.008 Network Device CLI Execution
Adversaries may abuse scripting or built-in command line interpreters (CLI) on network devices to execute malicious command and payloads.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-5702Same product: Viessmann Vitogate 300
CVE-2023-5222Same product: Viessmann Vitogate 300
CVE-2024-53672Shared CWE-77
CVE-2024-38228Shared CWE-77
CVE-2023-1389Shared CWE-77
CVE-2023-46409Shared CWE-77
CVE-2023-37469Shared CWE-77
CVE-2026-35847Shared CWE-77
CVE-2023-48801Shared CWE-77
CVE-2024-30637Shared CWE-77

Affected Assets

viessmann
vitogate 300 firmware
≤ 2.1.3.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.3
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V1.2.9

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.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and neutralization that prevent command injection.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of software and data can detect anomalous command execution resulting from injection.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Identifying recorded vulnerabilities enables remediation of command-injection flaws before exploitation.

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.

A.8.28 Secure coding mostly match
prevents

Secure coding standards require proper escaping and parameterization of commands, directly eliminating CWE-77.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development catches command-injection vulnerabilities before release.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and command construction practices that directly prevent command injection.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection flaws including command injection.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce the attack surface but do not prescribe the specific neutralization techniques needed.

A.8.31 Separation of development, test and production environments none match
none

Environment separation limits the blast radius of an exploited command injection but does not prevent the flaw itself.

References