# CVE-2016-9160: Information disclosure in SIEMENS SIMATIC WinCC (All versions < SIMATIC WinCC V7.2) and SIEMENS SIMATIC PCS 7 (All versions < SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 SP1)

> Remote attackers can crash an ActiveX component or leak application memory by tricking users into clicking malicious links in Siemens SCADA systems.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 17 Dec 2016
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-chxw-x27v-grr7

## What is CVE-2016-9160?

CVE-2016-9160 is a high-severity vulnerability in SIEMENS SIMATIC WinCC (All versions < SIMATIC WinCC V7.2) and SIEMENS SIMATIC PCS 7 (All versions < SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 SP1), published on 17 Dec 2016. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A vulnerability in SIEMENS SIMATIC WinCC (All versions < SIMATIC WinCC V7.2) and SIEMENS SIMATIC PCS 7 (All versions < SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 SP1) could allow a remote attacker to crash an ActiveX component or leak parts of the application memory if a user is tricked into clicking on a malicious link under certain conditions.

Weakness: CWE-254, CWE-111 (Direct Use of Unsafe JNI)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-9160?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Siemens Simatic Pcs 7, Siemens Simatic Wincc.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-9160?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-9160 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-9160 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-9160 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in SIEMENS SIMATIC WinCC (All versions < SIMATIC WinCC V7.2) and SIEMENS SIMATIC PCS 7 (All versions < SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 SP1)

- [CVE-2023-25910](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-25910/): Code injection in SIMATIC PCS 7 (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2021-40358](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-40358/): Path traversal in SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.2 (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2019-10922](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-10922/): Auth bypass in SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 and earlier (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-40360](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-40360/): Information disclosure in SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.2 (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-10916](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-10916/): SQL injection in SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 and earlier (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-9160 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-9160 is a high-severity vulnerability in SIEMENS SIMATIC WinCC (All versions < SIMATIC WinCC V7.2) and SIEMENS SIMATIC PCS 7 (All versions < SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 SP1), published on 17 Dec 2016. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-9160 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: SIEMENS SIMATIC WinCC (All versions < SIMATIC WinCC V7.2) and SIEMENS SIMATIC PCS 7 (All versions < SIMATIC PCS 7 V8.0 SP1). No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9160/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9160/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-9160
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-9160
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-9160

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-9160/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.