Memory Protection Bypass Vulnerability in SINAMICS PERFECT HARMONY GH180 Drives
Plan Patch8.1SSA-434535Jul 13, 2021
Attack VectorNetwork
Auth RequiredNone
ComplexityHigh
User InteractionNone needed
Summary
A memory protection bypass vulnerability exists in the S7-1500 or S7-1200 CPU embedded in SINAMICS PERFECT HARMONY GH180 Drives manufactured before August 13, 2021. An attacker could exploit this flaw to write arbitrary code or data to protected memory, potentially gaining control of the drive or reading sensitive information. Drives manufactured on or after August 13, 2021 contain a corrected CPU version and are not affected. Siemens has not released a firmware patch for existing older drives.
What this means
What could happen
An attacker with network access could bypass memory protections on the embedded CPU in affected drives, allowing them to execute arbitrary code or read sensitive data—potentially taking control of drive operations and disabling equipment.
Who's at risk
Water utilities and electric utilities operating SINAMICS PERFECT HARMONY GH180 motor drives manufactured before August 13, 2021. These drives are commonly used in pumping systems, fan drives, compressors, and other critical rotating equipment in water and power distribution. Any facility with these older drives is at risk if the devices are reachable from a potentially hostile network.
How it could be exploited
An attacker sends a specially crafted network packet to the S7-1500 or S7-1200 CPU embedded in the drive. This packet exploits a flaw in memory protection mechanisms, allowing the attacker to write arbitrary code or data to protected memory regions. Once code is executed, the attacker gains control of the drive's behavior.
Prerequisites
- Network access to the SINAMICS PERFECT HARMONY GH180 Drive over standard industrial protocols (likely Profinet or equivalent)
- Drive manufactured before August 13, 2021
- No authentication required to send a malicious packet
Remotely exploitableNo authentication requiredNo patch available for older drivesAllows arbitrary code execution on critical equipmentLow EPSS score but affects operational control
Exploitability
Low exploit probability (EPSS 0.3%)
Affected products (1)
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
SINAMICS PERFECT HARMONY GH180 DrivesDrives manufactured before 2021-08-13Drives manufactured 2021-08-13 or later
Remediation & Mitigation
0/3
Do now
0/2HARDENINGIf replacement is not immediately feasible, implement network segmentation to restrict access to the drive from untrusted networks—isolate the drive on a dedicated control network with firewall rules allowing only authorized engineering workstations and PLC communication
HARDENINGMonitor drive communications for anomalous traffic patterns and disable remote access to the drive if not required for operations
Schedule — requires maintenance window
0/1Patching may require device reboot — plan for process interruption
HOTFIXReplace affected drives manufactured before 2021-08-13 with new drives manufactured on or after 2021-08-13, which contain the corrected CPU firmware
CVEs (1)
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