CVE-2011-4033 in Citectscada Reports
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the Steema TeeChart ActiveX control, as used in Schneider Electric Vijeo Historian 4.30 and earlier, CitectHistorian 4.30 and earlier, and CitectSCADAReports 4.10 and earlier, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/27/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-4033 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Steema TeeChart ActiveX control component that is integrated into several industrial automation and monitoring systems. This vulnerability specifically affects Schneider Electric Vijeo Historian versions 4.30 and earlier, as well as CitectHistorian and CitectSCADAReports versions 4.30 and earlier, creating a significant security risk for industrial control systems. The affected ActiveX control is designed to provide charting functionality within these applications, but the buffer overflow condition creates a potential attack surface that remote adversaries can exploit to disrupt system operations.
The technical implementation of this buffer overflow occurs within the Steema TeeChart ActiveX control's handling of input data structures, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to write beyond allocated memory buffers. This flaw typically manifests when the control processes malformed or oversized data inputs that exceed the predetermined buffer boundaries. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the inherent trust relationships within industrial automation environments where ActiveX controls are often automatically executed without user intervention. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that multiple input paths within the TeeChart control could trigger this condition, making the attack surface broader and more difficult to predict.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it can potentially enable more sophisticated attacks within industrial environments. Remote attackers who successfully exploit this buffer overflow can cause the targeted applications to crash or become unresponsive, leading to operational disruptions in critical infrastructure monitoring systems. In industrial control environments, such denial of service conditions can have cascading effects on process monitoring, data logging, and reporting capabilities that are essential for operational continuity. The vulnerability's presence in multiple Schneider Electric and Citect products creates a widespread risk across different system components, potentially allowing attackers to compromise entire monitoring and reporting chains.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-4033 should prioritize immediate patching of affected software versions, as this vulnerability has been addressed through vendor updates and security patches. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to systems running affected ActiveX controls, particularly in operational technology environments where such controls are deployed. The implementation of application whitelisting policies can prevent unauthorized ActiveX controls from executing within the industrial environment, while also adhering to defense-in-depth principles. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, and regular security assessments should verify that all industrial control system components have been updated to address this vulnerability. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes buffer overflow conditions in stack-based buffers, and represents a typical example of how legacy industrial software components can contain security flaws that persist for years without detection. The attack pattern corresponds to techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under initial access and execution phases, where adversaries leverage trusted software execution to compromise industrial control systems.