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Motorola Solutions MDLC

Monitor7.5ICS-CERT ICSA-22-179-05Jun 28, 2022
Attack VectorNetwork
Auth RequiredNone
ComplexityLow
User InteractionNone needed
Summary

Motorola Solutions MDLC contains two vulnerabilities affecting encrypted communication and credential storage. CVE-2022-30273 involves weak encryption in the MDLC protocol when using the legacy TEA encryption algorithm instead of AES256, allowing potential message manipulation and protocol parser exploitation. CVE-2022-30275 involves plaintext password storage in the MDLC Windows driver on systems using the nonsecured MDLC protocol variant, exposing credentials to local or network-based attackers who gain access to configuration files or traffic.

What this means
What could happen
An attacker with network access to MDLC systems using legacy or nonsecured configurations could intercept and modify control messages, or extract plaintext credentials to gain unauthorized access to the control system, potentially allowing manipulation of industrial processes or denial of service.
Who's at risk
Utilities and large facilities using Motorola Solutions legacy MDLC-based control systems, including ACE1000 and MOSCAD products for SCADA/EMS (Energy Management Systems) communication. This affects any engineering workstation or gateway running MDLC Windows drivers, particularly those managing remote sites, substations, or distributed generation equipment.
How it could be exploited
An attacker on the same network as an MDLC device could passively intercept MDLC protocol traffic if TEA encryption is enabled (weak) instead of AES256, or capture plaintext passwords stored in Windows driver configuration files if the nonsecured MDLC protocol variant is deployed. With captured credentials or ability to forge messages, the attacker could send malicious commands to alter setpoints or stop processes.
Prerequisites
  • Network access to MDLC protocol traffic or device management interface
  • System configured with legacy TEA encryption (CVE-2022-30273) or nonsecured MDLC protocol variant (CVE-2022-30275)
  • For password exploitation: access to Windows driver configuration files or ability to intercept unencrypted management traffic
Remotely exploitable (network-based password theft and protocol manipulation)No patch available for affected versionsLegacy products (MOSCAD, ACE1000) out of supportWeak encryption (TEA) historically enabled by defaultPlaintext credential storageAffects SCADA/EMS systems controlling grid operations
Exploitability
Low exploit probability (EPSS 0.1%)
Affected products (1)
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
MDLC:4.80.0024 | 4.82.004 | 4.83.001No fix (EOL)
Remediation & Mitigation
0/4
Do now
0/2
HARDENINGFor systems using MDLC: Ensure AES256 encryption is enabled as the mandatory encryption algorithm. Verify TEA encryption is disabled.
HARDENINGFor systems using nonsecured MDLC protocol: Switch to the secured MDLC protocol variant and follow the user manual instructions to enable encryption.
Schedule — requires maintenance window
0/1

Patching may require device reboot — plan for process interruption

HARDENINGNetwork segmentation: Isolate MDLC protocol traffic from untrusted networks using firewalls and VLANs. Restrict access to management interfaces and engineering workstations.
Mitigations - no patch available
0/1
MDLC: has reached End of Life. The vendor will not release a patch. Apply the following compensating controls:
HARDENINGPlan migration from legacy MDLC products (MOSCAD, ACE1000) to newer products such as ACE3600 or MC-EDGE that enforce AES256-bit encryption and support the modern MDLC secure protocol.
View full CISA ICS-CERT advisory
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