CVE-2011-4533 in zenon
Summary
by MITRE
zenAdminSrv.exe in Ing. Punzenberger COPA-DATA zenon 6.51 SP0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted packet to TCP port 50777, aka Reference Number 25240.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-4533 affects zenAdminSrv.exe component within COPA-DATA zenon 6.51 SP0 industrial automation software suite. This daemon process operates on TCP port 50777 and serves as a critical administrative interface for managing industrial control systems. The flaw represents a significant security risk in industrial environments where system availability and integrity are paramount for operational continuity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the zenAdminSrv.exe daemon. When processing network packets received on port 50777, the application fails to properly validate or sanitize incoming data structures, creating potential buffer overflow conditions or memory corruption scenarios. This weakness allows remote attackers to craft malicious packets that, when processed by the vulnerable daemon, trigger unintended program behavior. The vulnerability classification aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and potentially CWE-787, indicating out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities that could lead to arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions. While remote attackers can cause the daemon to crash and potentially disrupt system operations, the more concerning aspect involves the possibility of arbitrary code execution. Industrial control systems running vulnerable versions of COPA-DATA zenon face risks of unauthorized access to critical infrastructure management functions, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate industrial processes, access sensitive operational data, or establish persistent access points within industrial networks. This vulnerability particularly affects environments using the zenon software for SCADA and HMI applications where continuous operation is essential for safety and productivity.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to isolate the affected system from untrusted networks, firewall rules to block access to TCP port 50777 from unauthorized sources, and application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices in industrial software development and highlights the need for regular security assessments of operational technology systems. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability could be leveraged for initial access and privilege escalation within industrial control environments, making it a critical target for defensive measures. System administrators should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous traffic patterns on the affected port and establish incident response procedures for potential exploitation attempts.