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Hitachi Energy RTU500 series CMU

Monitor5.9ICS-CERT ICSA-24-354-01Dec 19, 2024
Attack VectorNetwork
Auth RequiredNone
ComplexityHigh
User InteractionNone needed
Summary

Hitachi Energy RTU500 series CMU devices contain a buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-120) in firmware versions 12.0.1–12.0.14, 12.2.1–12.2.11, 12.4.1–12.4.11, 12.6.1–12.6.9, 12.7.1–12.7.6, 13.2.1–13.2.6, 13.4.1–13.4.3, and 13.5.1. Successful exploitation allows an attacker to cause a denial-of-service condition by sending a specially crafted message. The vulnerability has high attack complexity, which limits exploitation likelihood. No known public exploitation has been reported at this time.

What this means
What could happen
An attacker could trigger a denial-of-service condition on the CMU (Communications Management Unit) in RTU500 series devices, potentially causing the Remote Terminal Unit to become unresponsive and unable to relay telemetry or control signals for electrical substations.
Who's at risk
Electrical utilities operating Hitachi Energy RTU500 series Remote Terminal Units in substations or distribution control centers. The CMU (Communications Management Unit) is the component that handles remote telemetry and control communications, so its unavailability directly impacts the ability to monitor and operate electrical infrastructure.
How it could be exploited
An attacker with network access to the RTU500 CMU could send a specially crafted message that triggers a buffer overflow condition (CWE-120), causing the CMU to crash or hang. The attacker would need to be able to reach the device network interface, but no authentication is required to send the malicious message.
Prerequisites
  • Network access to the RTU500 CMU on its operational network (port/protocol unspecified in advisory)
  • Ability to craft and send specific malformed messages to the CMU
  • High attack complexity (as noted in advisory) limits exploitation likelihood
Remotely exploitableNo authentication requiredHigh attack complexity (reduces likelihood)No patch available currently (fixes incoming)Affects critical energy infrastructure
Exploitability
Low exploit probability (EPSS 0.2%)
Affected products (8)
8 pending
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
RTU500 series CMU Firmware: >=12.0.1|<=12.0.14≥ 12.0.1|≤ 12.0.14No fix yet
RTU500 series CMU Firmware: >=12.2.1|<=12.2.11≥ 12.2.1|≤ 12.2.11No fix yet
RTU500 series CMU Firmware: >=12.4.1|<=12.4.11≥ 12.4.1|≤ 12.4.11No fix yet
RTU500 series CMU Firmware: >=12.6.1|<=12.6.9≥ 12.6.1|≤ 12.6.9No fix yet
RTU500 series CMU Firmware: >=12.7.1|<=12.7.6≥ 12.7.1|≤ 12.7.6No fix yet
RTU500 series CMU Firmware: >=13.2.1|<=13.2.6≥ 13.2.1|≤ 13.2.6No fix yet
RTU500 series CMU Firmware: >=13.4.1|<=13.4.3≥ 13.4.1|≤ 13.4.3No fix yet
RTU500 series CMU Firmware: 13.5.113.5.1No fix yet
Remediation & Mitigation
0/5
Do now
0/1
WORKAROUNDImplement firewall rules to restrict network access to RTU500 CMU to only authorized engineering workstations and SCADA control servers
Schedule — requires maintenance window
0/1

Patching may require device reboot — plan for process interruption

HOTFIXUpdate RTU500 series CMU firmware to patched versions: 12.0.15, 12.2.12, 12.4.12, 12.6.10, 12.7.7, 13.2.7, 13.4.4, or 13.5.2 depending on your current major/minor version
Long-term hardening
0/3
HARDENINGPhysically isolate the process control network from corporate networks and the Internet using a demilitarized zone (DMZ) with minimal exposed ports
HARDENINGDisable Internet connectivity and email/messaging access on any computer that connects to the RTU500 network
HARDENINGScan portable computers and removable storage media for malware before connecting to the RTU500 network
View full CISA ICS-CERT advisory
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API: /api/v1/advisories/34aa8168-6c51-4315-9501-0f4db136c8a0