CVE-2011-1918 in Intelligent Platforms Proficy Historian
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in the Data Archiver service in GE Intelligent Platforms Proficy Historian before 3.5 SIM 17 and 4.x before 4.0 SIM 12 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted TCP message traffic.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1918 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow within the Data Archiver service of GE Intelligent Platforms Proficy Historian software. This flaw exists in versions prior to 3.5 SIM 17 and 4.x before 4.0 SIM 12, making a significant portion of the industrial control systems landscape susceptible to exploitation. The vulnerability specifically affects the Data Archiver service which is responsible for collecting, storing, and managing historical data from industrial processes, making it a crucial component in industrial automation environments.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the TCP message handling mechanism of the Data Archiver service. When the service receives crafted TCP messages, it fails to properly bounds-check the incoming data before copying it into a fixed-size stack buffer. This classic buffer overflow condition occurs because the service assumes that incoming data will not exceed predetermined limits, allowing an attacker to overflow the allocated stack space and overwrite adjacent memory locations including return addresses and control data. The flaw aligns with CWE-121, which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking permits memory corruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to potentially enable remote code execution, making it particularly dangerous in industrial control environments. When exploited, the buffer overflow can cause the Data Archiver daemon to crash, resulting in immediate denial of service that disrupts data collection and historical monitoring capabilities. However, the more severe implications arise when the overflow allows an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code on the affected system, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of industrial data management systems, as demonstrated by the ATT&CK framework's T1499.3 technique for endpoint denial of service and T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires remote network access to the affected Proficy Historian service, making it particularly dangerous in connected industrial environments where such systems may be exposed to external networks. Attackers can craft specially designed TCP messages that, when processed by the vulnerable Data Archiver service, trigger the buffer overflow condition. The impact on industrial operations can be severe, as the Data Archiver service is integral to maintaining historical process data that operators and engineers rely upon for operational decision making, trend analysis, and system diagnostics. Organizations using older versions of Proficy Historian face significant risk of operational disruption and potential safety hazards when this vulnerability is exploited in environments where continuous operation is critical.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of Proficy Historian software, implementing network segmentation to isolate critical industrial systems, and applying firewall rules to restrict access to the Data Archiver service ports. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current software versions in industrial environments and highlights the need for proper input validation and memory safety practices in industrial control system applications. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning of industrial control systems should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other components of the industrial automation infrastructure, aligning with NIST SP 800-82 guidelines for industrial control system security.