CVE-2011-3322 in Procyon SCADA
Summary
by MITRE
Core Server HMI Service (Coreservice.exe) in Scadatec Limited Procyon SCADA 1.06, and other versions before 1.14, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a long password to the Telnet (TCP/23) port, which triggers an out-of-bounds read or write, leading to a stack-based buffer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3322 affects the Core Server HMI Service component within Scadatec Limited Procyon SCADA software version 1.06 and earlier releases. This critical security flaw resides in the coreservice.exe executable which serves as the primary interface for human machine interface operations within the SCADA system. The affected software operates in industrial control environments where operational technology systems require robust security measures to prevent unauthorized access and system compromise. The vulnerability specifically targets the Telnet service listening on TCP port 23, which represents a fundamental communication channel for remote system administration and monitoring activities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the authentication handling mechanism of the Core Server HMI Service. When a remote attacker sends a specially crafted malformed password string exceeding predetermined buffer limits to the Telnet service, the system fails to properly validate the input length before processing. This deficiency creates an exploitable condition where the application attempts to copy the excessive password data into a fixed-size memory buffer without proper bounds checking. The flaw manifests as either an out-of-bounds read or write operation, depending on the exact memory layout and execution context, ultimately resulting in a stack-based buffer overflow condition that corrupts adjacent memory segments and executable code areas.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable remote code execution capabilities. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can cause the coreservice.exe process to crash and terminate unexpectedly, disrupting critical SCADA operations and potentially leading to operational downtime. More critically, the stack-based buffer overflow condition provides a potential pathway for arbitrary code execution, allowing threat actors to gain unauthorized control over the affected system. This represents a severe risk in industrial control environments where SCADA systems manage critical infrastructure operations, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to manipulate industrial processes, access sensitive operational data, or disrupt essential services. The vulnerability affects the broader SCADA ecosystem by demonstrating how legacy industrial software implementations often lack proper security controls and input validation mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate software updates to version 1.14 or later, which contain patched implementations of proper input validation and buffer management controls. Organizations should implement network segmentation to restrict access to the affected Telnet service, limiting exposure to trusted network segments only. Additionally, disabling unnecessary Telnet services and implementing alternative secure authentication mechanisms such as SSH should be considered. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow and CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write categories, representing fundamental software development security weaknesses. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application and T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter techniques, emphasizing the need for proper application hardening and network access controls to prevent exploitation. Security monitoring should focus on detecting unusual authentication attempts and network traffic patterns associated with long password inputs to the Telnet service.