OTPulse
FeedAboutContact

Phoenix Contact: PLCnext Engineer Vulnerabilities in LibGit2Sharp/LibGit2

Act Now9.8VDE-2023-016Aug 8, 2023
Attack VectorNetwork
Auth RequiredNone
ComplexityLow
User InteractionNone needed
Summary

Several vulnerabilities exist in the LibGit2Sharp library used by PLCnext Engineer for version control. These vulnerabilities allow remote code execution, privilege escalation, and tampering with project files. An attacker can exploit these flaws by providing malicious Git repositories or git configuration data, leading to arbitrary code execution on the engineering workstation with the privileges of the user running PLCnext Engineer.

What this means
What could happen
An attacker with network access to a PLCnext Engineer workstation could execute arbitrary code or modify project files by exploiting vulnerabilities in the Git version control component, potentially altering PLC logic, credentials, or safety configurations.
Who's at risk
Manufacturing facilities using PLCnext Engineer on engineering workstations for PLC programming and configuration. This affects any operator or engineer who uses Git-based version control features for storing and managing PLC project code.
How it could be exploited
The attacker sends a malicious Git repository or git configuration file to a PLCnext Engineer user (or reaches the engineering workstation over the network). When the engineer opens or interacts with the repository in PLCnext Engineer, the vulnerable LibGit2Sharp library processes the malicious data and executes attacker code with the engineer's privileges, allowing modification of PLC programs before deployment.
Prerequisites
  • Network access to PLCnext Engineer workstation on port used for Git operations or file transfer
  • User opens or interacts with a crafted Git repository in PLCnext Engineer
remotely exploitableno authentication requiredlow complexityaffects safety systemshigh CVSS (9.8)
Affected products (1)
ProductAffected VersionsFix Status
PLCnext Engineer <=2023.3≤ 2023.32023.6.
Remediation & Mitigation
0/3
Do now
0/1
WORKAROUNDDisable or avoid using the version control feature in PLCnext Engineer versions prior to 2023.6
Schedule — requires maintenance window
0/1

Patching may require device reboot — plan for process interruption

HOTFIXUpdate PLCnext Engineer to version 2023.6 or later
Long-term hardening
0/1
HARDENINGRestrict network access to PLCnext Engineer workstations to trusted engineering networks only
View full CERT@VDE advisory
API: /api/v1/advisories/f3c66fa9-68a8-4f4f-b858-9550bdaa439b