Vulnerability Snapshot
CVE-2016-5743 is rated CRITICAL โ exploitation is trivial or already observed in the wild and impact is severe. Patch immediately, not on the next maintenance window.
Affected technology: simatic_batch, simatic_wincc, simatic_pcs_7, simatic_openpcs_7, simatic_wincc_runtime_professional.
Executive Summary
Siemens SIMATIC WinCC before 7.3 Update 10 and 7.4 before Update 1, SIMATIC BATCH before 8.1 SP1 Update 9 as distributed in SIMATIC PCS 7 through 8.1 SP1, SIMATIC OpenPCS 7 before 8.1 Update 3 as distributed in SIMATIC PCS 7 through 8.1 SP1, SIMATIC OpenPCS 7 before 8.2 Update 1 as distributed in SIMATIC PCS 7 8.2, and SIMATIC WinCC Runtime Professional before 13 SP1 Update 9 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted packets.
Why It Matters
CVE-2016-5743 is rated CRITICAL severity, requiring immediate attention from security teams.
CVSS Base Score: 9.8/10
Affected Technologies
Vendors: siemens
Products: simatic_batch, simatic_wincc, simatic_pcs_7, simatic_openpcs_7, simatic_wincc_runtime_professional
๐ก๏ธWhat Defenders Should Check
Use Vulnios to continuously monitor your exposure to CVE-2016-5743 and similar vulnerabilities.
References & Sources
How Vulnios Detects This
Vulnios scans for this vulnerability using Trivy and Grype for SBOM-based CVE matching and Vulnios CVE feed continuous monitoring against your asset inventory. Run a scan against your environment to see whether you are exposed; findings are linked back to the original CVE record so triage starts with the patch path already known.
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Affected Products
Sources
Related Threat Alerts
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2016-9157 โ siemens โ sicam_pas\/pqs
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2016-9155 โ siemens โ ccid1445-dn18_firmware, ccid1445-dn28_firmware
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2016-8565 โ siemens โ automation_license_manager
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2016-7112 โ siemens โ en100_ethernet_module_firmware, en100_ethernet_module
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2017-9944 โ siemens โ 7kt_pac1200_data_manager_firmware, 7kt_pac1200_data_manager
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2017-12739 โ siemens โ sm-2556_firmware, sm-2556
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2016-5743?
CVE-2016-5743 is a critical-severity vulnerability tracked under the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures program. Siemens SIMATIC WinCC before 7.3 Update 10 and 7.4 before Update 1, SIMATIC BATCH before 8.1 SP1 Update 9 as distributed in SIMATIC PCS 7 through 8.1 SP1, SIMATIC OpenPCS 7 before 8.1 Update 3 as dist
Am I affected?
Check whether your environment runs simatic_batch, simatic_wincc, simatic_pcs_7, simatic_openpcs_7, simatic_wincc_runtime_professional. If you operate any of those, treat yourself as in scope until you have evidence otherwise. A Vulnios scan will identify the exact assets carrying the affected version.
How urgent is the response?
Critical: do not wait for your normal patch cycle. Verify exposure today, apply the vendor patch immediately, and add detection rules for any post-exploit indicators.
How do I remediate?
Apply the vendor patch listed in the upstream advisory linked under Sources. If the patch is not yet available, follow the vendor-supplied workaround (often a config flag or feature disable) and add detections for the published exploit pattern in your SIEM. Re-scan after the patch lands to confirm the finding clears.
Where can I track exploitation activity?
Watch CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog for CVE-2016-5743. Cross-reference with public exploit databases and your own SIEM/IDS for indicator-of-compromise patterns. Vulnios tracks KEV status automatically and surfaces it on the asset findings view.
How does Vulnios help with this?
Vulnios continuously cross-references your asset inventory against the live CVE feed (NVD, vendor advisories, CISA KEV, and curated OSINT). When a new CVE matches your environment, you get a prioritized finding with the severity, KEV status, exploit-prediction (EPSS), and a direct path to the vendor patch. You can start a free scan from the homepage.
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