CVE-2012-4703 in Deltav Ve3005 Controller Md
Summary
by MITRE
The Emerson DeltaV SE3006 through 11.3.1, DeltaV VE3005 through 10.3.1 and 11.x through 11.3.1, and DeltaV VE3006 through 10.3.1 and 11.x through 11.3.1 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (device restart) via a crafted packet on (1) TCP port 23, (2) UDP port 161, or (3) TCP port 513.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2012-4703 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting Emerson DeltaV distributed control systems across multiple product lines and firmware versions. This vulnerability impacts the SE3006 series operating in versions 11.3.1 and below, VE3005 series in versions 10.3.1 and 11.x through 11.3.1, and VE3006 series in versions 10.3.1 and 11.x through 11.3.1. The affected systems are designed for industrial process control environments where system availability and reliability are paramount for operational continuity and safety.
The technical flaw manifests through improper input validation mechanisms within the network protocol handlers of these DeltaV systems. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending specifically crafted packets to three distinct network ports: TCP port 23 which is commonly used for telnet services, UDP port 161 which is the standard port for SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) communications, and TCP port 513 which is typically used for the rcmd protocol. These ports are chosen because they represent common network services that the DeltaV systems may be configured to accept connections on, making the attack surface more accessible to potential threat actors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows remote attackers to trigger device restarts without requiring authentication or physical access to the systems. This remote code execution capability can result in significant operational disruptions in industrial environments where continuous operation is essential for process safety and production continuity. The ability to cause device restarts through network-based attacks undermines the reliability of critical infrastructure systems and can potentially lead to production halts, safety system failures, or cascading operational issues within industrial control networks.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of input boundaries, and represents a classic example of a buffer overflow or input validation flaw that can be exploited to cause system instability. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers "Endpoint Denial of Service" and potentially T1566.001 for "Phishing via Social Engineering" if attackers use social engineering to gain initial access. Organizations should implement network segmentation to isolate these critical systems, disable unnecessary network services on affected ports, and apply vendor-provided patches or firmware updates. Additionally, monitoring network traffic for unusual patterns on these specific ports can help detect exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining secure network configurations in industrial environments and demonstrates how seemingly benign network protocols can become attack vectors when proper input validation is lacking in critical industrial control systems.