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PHOENIX CONTACT: BTP Touch Panels uncontrolled resource consumption

Monitor7.5VDE-2020-047Dec 2, 2020
Attack VectorNetwork
Auth RequiredNone
ComplexityLow
User InteractionNone needed
Summary

BTP Touch Panels 2043W, 2070W, and 2102W are vulnerable to uncontrolled resource consumption attacks. An attacker can send network packets that exhaust resources on the panel, causing it to become unresponsive and stop updating the display. This is a denial-of-service condition that prevents the HMI from accurately showing process status. No vendor patch is available for any affected model.

What this means
What could happen
An attacker can send crafted network packets to make the BTP Touch Panel unresponsive, causing the HMI display to freeze or stop updating—preventing operators from monitoring or controlling plant operations.
Who's at risk
Manufacturing plants using Phoenix Contact BTP Touch Panels (2043W, 2070W, 2102W models) for HMI and process monitoring. Any facility relying on these panels to display real-time process data and operator controls is affected, including discrete manufacturers, process plants, and utilities.
How it could be exploited
An attacker on the network sends specially crafted packets designed to consume excessive resources (CPU, memory, or connection states) on the BTP panel. The panel becomes unresponsive and cannot refresh the display, effectively blocking operator visibility and control of the process.
Prerequisites
  • Network access to the BTP panel (Ethernet port 502 or other service ports)
  • No authentication required
remotely exploitableno authentication requiredlow complexityno patch availableaffects HMI/operator visibility
Affected products (3)
3 EOL
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
BTP 2070WAll versionsNo fix (EOL)
BTP 2102WAll versionsNo fix (EOL)
BTP 2043WAll versionsNo fix (EOL)
Remediation & Mitigation
0/4
Do now
0/1
WORKAROUNDDeploy firewall rules to restrict traffic to the BTP panel to only known engineering and control network segments; block all inbound traffic from untrusted networks
Schedule — requires maintenance window
0/1

Patching may require device reboot — plan for process interruption

HARDENINGMonitor BTP panel responsiveness and network traffic for abnormal patterns; establish alerts for periods of unresponsiveness
Mitigations - no patch available
0/2
The following products have reached End of Life with no planned fix: BTP 2070W, BTP 2102W, BTP 2043W. Apply the following compensating controls:
HARDENINGIsolate BTP Touch Panels to a closed or air-gapped network segment when possible
HARDENINGImplement network segmentation to separate HMI devices from the general IT network and external connections
View full CERT@VDE advisory
API: /api/v1/advisories/59daf46f-77f1-4548-9778-d8b18deb225f
PHOENIX CONTACT: BTP Touch Panels uncontrolled resource consumption | CVSS 7.5 - OTPulse