ICSA-17-180-01A_Siemens SIMATIC Industrial PCs, SINUMERIK Panel Control Unit, and SIMOTION P320 (Update A)
Act Now9.8ICS-CERT ICSA-17-180-01AJun 29, 2017
Attack VectorNetwork
Auth RequiredNone
ComplexityLow
User InteractionNone needed
Summary
A privilege escalation vulnerability in SINUMERIK Panel Control Units (PCU) with Intel Core i5, i7, or Xeon processors allows remote code execution without authentication. The vulnerability is related to improper access control enforcement (CWE-269) and enables an attacker to execute arbitrary commands with system privileges on the machine tool controller. The affected PCU hardware has no firmware patch available from Siemens.
What this means
What could happen
An attacker with network access to a SINUMERIK Panel Control Unit can execute arbitrary code with high privilege levels, allowing them to modify machine tool motion commands, alter production parameters, or halt manufacturing operations entirely.
Who's at risk
Manufacturing facilities operating SINUMERIK machine tool controllers with integrated PCU hardware (Intel Core i5/i7/Xeon processors). This affects any facility using CNC machines, milling centers, or lathe systems that rely on SINUMERIK PCU for motion control and setup. The vulnerability has been actively exploited.
How it could be exploited
An attacker sends a specially crafted network packet to the PCU on port 80/443 (or other exposed service port). The vulnerable code processes the packet without proper privilege validation and executes attacker-supplied commands. This could directly modify spindle speeds, feedrates, tool offsets, or other critical machine parameters.
Prerequisites
- Network connectivity to the SINUMERIK Panel Control Unit
- No credentials required
- PCU must be reachable from an attacker's network location
remotely exploitableno authentication requiredlow complexityactively exploited (KEV)EPSS 94.2% (very high)no patch availableaffects production control systems
Exploitability
Actively exploited — confirmed by CISA KEV
Affected products (1)
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
SINUMERIK Panel Control Unit (PCU): (Intel Core i5 Intel Core i7 and Intel XEON)Intel Core i5 Intel Core i7 | Intel XEONNo fix yet
Remediation & Mitigation
0/4
Do now
0/4HARDENINGNetwork segmentation: Place SINUMERIK Panel Control Units on an isolated manufacturing network with firewall rules restricting inbound access to only authorized engineering workstations and PLCs
WORKAROUNDDisable unnecessary network services on the PCU if possible (HTTP/HTTPS interfaces not required for normal operation)
WORKAROUNDMonitor SINUMERIK PCU network traffic for suspicious connection attempts or unusual command sequences
HOTFIXApply vendor firmware updates as they become available
CVEs (1)
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