CVE-2012-1814 in DeltaV Workstation
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Emerson DeltaV and DeltaV Workstations 9.3.1, 10.3.1, 11.3, and 11.3.1 and DeltaV ProEssentials Scientific Graph 5.0.0.6 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/28/2018
The CVE-2012-1814 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Emerson DeltaV and DeltaV Workstations software versions 9.3.1, 10.3.1, 11.3, and 11.3.1 along with DeltaV ProEssentials Scientific Graph 5.0.0.6. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The affected systems are industrial control systems designed for process automation and monitoring, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for operational technology environments.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web interfaces of these industrial software components. Attackers can exploit unspecified vectors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they access affected pages. This typically occurs when user-supplied data is not properly sanitized before being rendered in web responses, creating opportunities for malicious code injection. The vulnerability's impact is amplified in industrial environments where these systems often handle sensitive operational data and may be accessible from external networks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond typical web application security concerns due to the industrial control system context. Remote attackers could potentially manipulate user interfaces, steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or execute arbitrary commands within the browser context of legitimate users. In industrial settings, this could lead to unauthorized access to critical process control information, disruption of operational workflows, or even potential physical system compromise if the injected scripts can interact with underlying industrial protocols or interfaces. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of Emerson's DeltaV software suite, indicating a widespread exposure across different product releases.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected software versions to address the input validation deficiencies. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to these industrial systems and deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script injection attempts. Additionally, security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual script execution patterns within affected web interfaces. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 for initial access through malicious content and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter execution. Regular security assessments of industrial control systems should include thorough input validation reviews and output encoding verification to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other components of the operational technology infrastructure.