CVE-2012-1804 in Movicon
Summary
by MITRE
The OPC server in Progea Movicon before 11.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read and memory corruption) via a crafted HTTP request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-1804 affects the OPC server component within Progea Movicon software versions prior to 11.3. This represents a critical security flaw that exposes industrial control systems to remote exploitation through improperly handled HTTP requests. The affected system operates within industrial automation environments where OPC (OLE for Process Control) servers facilitate communication between industrial devices and supervisory control applications, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in operational technology contexts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the HTTP request processing logic of the OPC server. Attackers can craft malicious HTTP requests that trigger out-of-bounds memory reads and subsequent memory corruption conditions. This occurs when the server fails to properly validate or sanitize incoming HTTP headers and parameters before processing them, leading to memory access violations that can crash the server process or potentially allow for more sophisticated exploitation techniques. The flaw manifests as a buffer over-read condition where the application attempts to access memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, resulting in unpredictable behavior and system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it can severely disrupt industrial processes and automation systems. In industrial environments where continuous operation is critical, a denial of service attack can lead to production halts, safety system failures, and potential financial losses. The vulnerability affects the availability of the OPC server, which serves as a communication bridge between industrial devices and monitoring systems, thereby compromising the overall integrity and reliability of the industrial control infrastructure. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and represents a classic example of how improper input validation can lead to memory corruption vulnerabilities.
Organizations utilizing Progea Movicon systems should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of vendor-provided patches or upgrades to version 11.3 or later. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of the OPC server to untrusted networks, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect anomalous HTTP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and proper memory management in industrial control systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1499.002 for network denial of service attacks. Security teams should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems specifically configured to identify malformed HTTP requests targeting OPC server components, as this vulnerability represents a common attack vector in industrial control system environments where proper security controls are often lacking.