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Cooper Power Systems Improper Input Validation Vulnerability

Low RiskICS-CERT ICSA-13-346-01Sep 14, 2013
Summary

Cooper Power Systems SMP Gateway devices (SMP 16, SMP 4, and SMP 4/DP) contain an improper input validation vulnerability (CWE-20). The devices fail to properly validate incoming network input before processing, which could allow an attacker to send malicious data to the gateway. This could cause the device to malfunction, crash, or behave unexpectedly. No patch is available from the vendor for any version of these products.

What this means
What could happen
An attacker with network access to a Cooper Power Systems SMP Gateway could send malicious input to the device, potentially causing it to malfunction or crash, disrupting real-time data collection and reporting from power distribution systems.
Who's at risk
Energy sector operators managing Cooper Power Systems SMP data concentrators (SMP 16, SMP 4, and SMP 4/DP Gateways) should care about this issue. These devices are commonly used in power distribution networks to aggregate meter and sensor data for transmission to SCADA systems.
How it could be exploited
An attacker sends specially crafted input packets to the SMP Gateway's network interface. The gateway fails to properly validate this input before processing, allowing the malicious data to trigger unexpected behavior or a crash on the device.
Prerequisites
  • Network access to the SMP Gateway device (typically port 502 for Modbus or data concentrator communications)
  • Ability to send arbitrary network packets to the gateway
remotely exploitableno patch availableaffects power distribution monitoringinput validation flaw allows malformed data processing
Exploitability
Low exploit probability (EPSS 0.5%)
Affected products (3)
3 EOL
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
SMP 16 Gateway (Data Concentrator): vers:all/*All versionsNo fix (EOL)
SMP 4 Gateway (Data Concentrator): vers:all/*All versionsNo fix (EOL)
SMP 4/DP Gateway (Data Concentrator): vers:all/*All versionsNo fix (EOL)
Remediation & Mitigation
0/4
Do now
0/2
HARDENINGImplement network segmentation to restrict access to SMP Gateway devices to only authorized engineering workstations and SCADA master stations
WORKAROUNDDeploy firewall rules to block unauthorized incoming connections to the SMP Gateway
Schedule — requires maintenance window
0/1

Patching may require device reboot — plan for process interruption

HARDENINGMonitor for unexpected restarts or connectivity loss from SMP Gateway devices, which may indicate a successful attack or crash
Long-term hardening
0/1
HOTFIXEvaluate replacement or upgrade of affected SMP Gateway devices to newer hardware with patched firmware when operational budget allows
View full CISA ICS-CERT advisory
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