As of January 10, 2023, CISA will no longer be updating ICS security advisories for Siemens product vulnerabilities beyond the initial advisory. For the most up-to-date information on vulnerabilities in this advisory, please see Siemens’ ProductCERT Security Advisories (CERT Services | Services | Siemens Global).

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• CVSS v3 5.5
• ATTENTION: Exploitable from adjacent network/low attack complexity
• Vendor: Siemens
• Equipment: RUGGEDCOM CROSSBOW
• Vulnerabilities: Heap-based Buffer Overflow, Use After Free

2. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or to cause a denial-of-service condition.

3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following Siemens products are affected:

• RUGGEDCOM CROSSBOW Station Access Controller (SAC): Versions prior to 5.6

3.2 Vulnerability Overview

3.2.1 HEAP-BASED BUFFER OVERFLOW CWE-122

A vulnerability was found in SQLite SQLite3 up to 3.43.0 and classified as critical. This issue affects the function sessionReadRecord of the file ext/session/sqlite3session.c of the component make alltest Handler. The manipulation leads to heap-based buffer overflow. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The associated identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-248999.

CVE-2023-7104 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 5.5 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).

3.2.2 USE AFTER FREE CWE-416

A heap use-after-free issue has been identified in SQLite in the jsonParseAddNodeArray() function in sqlite3.c. This flaw allows a local attacker to leverage a victim to pass specially crafted malicious input to the application, potentially causing a crash and leading to a denial of service.

CVE-2024-0232 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 4.7 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

3.3 BACKGROUND

• CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS: Critical Manufacturing, Energy
• COUNTRIES/AREAS DEPLOYED: Worldwide
• COMPANY HEADQUARTERS LOCATION: Germany

3.4 RESEARCHER

Siemens reported these vulnerabilities to CISA.

4. MITIGATIONS

Siemens has released a new version for RUGGEDCOM CROSSBOW Station Access Controller (SAC) and recommends updating to the latest version:

• RUGGEDCOM CROSSBOW Station Access Controller (SAC): Update to V5.6 or later version

Siemens has identified the following specific workarounds and mitigations users can apply to reduce risk:

As a general security measure, Siemens recommends protecting network access to devices with appropriate mechanisms. To operate the devices in a protected IT environment, Siemens recommends configuring the environment according to Siemens’ operational guidelines for industrial security and following recommendations in the product manuals.

Additional information on industrial security by Siemens can be found on the Siemens industrial security webpage

For more information see the associated Siemens security advisory SSA-000297 in HTML and CSAF.

CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities, such as:

• Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, ensuring they are not accessible from the internet.
• Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls and isolating them from business networks.
• When remote access is required, use more secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Recognize VPNs may have vulnerabilities, should be updated to the most recent version available, and are only as secure as the connected devices.

CISA reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.

CISA also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS webpage on cisa.gov. Several CISA products detailing cyber defense best practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies.

CISA encourages organizations to implement recommended cybersecurity strategies for proactive defense of ICS assets.

Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available on the ICS webpage at cisa.gov in the technical information paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B–Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies.

Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents.

CISA also recommends users take the following measures to protect themselves from social engineering attacks:

• Do not click web links or open attachments in unsolicited email messages.
• Refer to Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams for more information on avoiding email scams.
• Refer to Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks.

No known public exploitation specifically targeting these vulnerabilities has been reported to CISA at this time. These vulnerabilities are not exploitable remotely.

5. UPDATE HISTORY

• November 14, 2024: Initial Publication