CVE-2011-3498 in Movicon Powerhmi
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in Progea Movicon / PowerHMI 11.2.1085 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a long request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/31/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3498 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow flaw present in Progea Movicon and PowerHMI versions 11.2.1085 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within industrial automation software commonly used in manufacturing and process control environments, making it particularly concerning for operational technology infrastructure. The flaw manifests when the software processes incoming requests without adequate bounds checking, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to exploit the memory management weakness.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper input validation mechanisms within the communication protocols handled by these industrial automation platforms. When a remote attacker sends a specially crafted request containing excessive data, the application fails to properly validate the input length before copying it into a fixed-size buffer allocated on the heap. This condition creates a situation where the buffer overflow can overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting program execution flow. The heap-based nature of the vulnerability means that the memory allocation occurs dynamically during runtime, making the exploitation more complex but equally dangerous compared to stack-based buffer overflows.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to industrial control systems and critical infrastructure. The ability to cause denial of service through application crashes can lead to production downtime and operational disruptions in manufacturing environments where continuous operation is essential. The potential for arbitrary code execution adds another layer of severity, as attackers could potentially gain unauthorized access to control systems, manipulate industrial processes, or establish persistent access points within operational technology networks. The remote exploit capability means that attackers do not need physical access to the systems, making these vulnerabilities particularly attractive targets for cyber threats targeting industrial control environments.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation efforts by upgrading to patched versions of Progea Movicon and PowerHMI software, as recommended by the vendor and security advisories from organizations such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of these systems to untrusted networks, while monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous communication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and represents a technique commonly categorized under the attack pattern of buffer overflow exploitation within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically targeting the execution and privilege escalation phases of cyber operations.