Siemens User Management Component
Plan PatchCVSS 9.8ICS-CERT ICSA-24-354-04Dec 16, 2024
Siemens
Attack path
Attack VectorNetwork
Auth RequiredNone
ComplexityLow
User InteractionNone needed
Summary
The Siemens User Management Component contains a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-122) that allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability affects multiple Siemens products including TIA Portal engineering platform, SIMATIC PCS neo process control systems, Opcenter manufacturing execution suite, and SINEC NMS network management system. Siemens has released patches for some products but states that TIA Portal versions 16–19 and SIMATIC PCS neo V4.0 will not receive fixes. Exploitation requires network access to ports 4002 or 4004 on affected systems.
What this means
What could happen
An unauthenticated attacker could exploit a buffer overflow in the Siemens User Management Component to run arbitrary code on affected systems. This could compromise the integrity of manufacturing execution systems, process control applications, and network infrastructure used to manage industrial operations.
Who's at risk
Organizations using Siemens manufacturing execution and control systems should be concerned, specifically: plant engineers and operators running TIA Portal (Engineering workstations), manufacturing facilities using SIMATIC PCS neo for process automation, organizations running Opcenter MES products (Execution Foundation, Intelligence, Quality, RDnL) for production planning and control, and utilities or plants managing network infrastructure with SINEC NMS. The vulnerability affects both engineering systems and live production environments.
How it could be exploited
An attacker on the network sends a specially crafted request to ports 4002 or 4004 on a system running the vulnerable User Management Component. The overflow in the component's memory handling allows the attacker to overwrite heap memory and inject code that executes with the privileges of the UMC service.
Prerequisites
- Network access to ports 4002 and/or 4004 on a system running vulnerable User Management Component
- No authentication required
remotely exploitableno authentication requiredlow complexityaffects manufacturing control systemshigh CVSS (9.8)no patch available for TIA Portal V16/V17/V18/V19 and SIMATIC PCS neo V4.0
Exploitability
Some exploitation risk — EPSS score 5.5%
Affected products (12)
7 with fix5 EOL
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V16All versionsNo fix (EOL)
Opcenter Execution Foundation< 2501.00012501.0001
Opcenter Intelligence< 2501.00012501.0001
Opcenter Quality< 25122512
Opcenter RDnL< 24102410
SIMATIC PCS neo V4.1<V4.1 Update 34.1 Update 3
SIMATIC PCS neo V5.0<V5.0 Update 15.0 Update 1
SIMATIC PCS neo V4.0All versionsNo fix (EOL)
Remediation & Mitigation
0/10
Do now
0/2WORKAROUNDConfigure firewall rules to restrict inbound connections to ports 4002 and 4004 to only IP addresses of machines that are part of your UMC network
WORKAROUNDIf RT server machines are not in use, block port 4004 completely at the firewall
Schedule — requires maintenance window
0/7Patching may require device reboot — plan for process interruption
SIMATIC PCS neo V5.0
HOTFIXUpdate SIMATIC PCS neo V5.0 to V5.0 Update 1 or later
SIMATIC PCS neo V4.1
HOTFIXUpdate SIMATIC PCS neo V4.1 to V4.1 Update 3 or later
Opcenter Execution Foundation
HOTFIXUpdate Opcenter Execution Foundation to version 2501.0001 or later
Opcenter Intelligence
HOTFIXUpdate Opcenter Intelligence to version 2501.0001 or later
Opcenter Quality
HOTFIXUpdate Opcenter Quality to version 2512 or later
Opcenter RDnL
HOTFIXUpdate Opcenter RDnL to version 2410 or later
SINEC NMS
HOTFIXUpdate SINEC NMS to V3.0 SP2 or later version and UMC to V2.15 or later version
Mitigations - no patch available
0/1The following products have reached End of Life with no planned fix: Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V16, SIMATIC PCS neo V4.0, Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V17, Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V18, Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal) V19. Apply the following compensating controls:
HARDENINGSegment the User Management Component systems onto a protected, isolated network with restricted access from general IT networks
CVEs (1)
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