CVE-2012-4713 in FactoryTalk Services Platform
Summary
by MITRE
Integer signedness error in RNADiagnostics.dll in Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Services Platform (FTSP) CPR9, CPR9-SR1, CPR9-SR2, CPR9-SR3, CPR9-SR4, CPR9-SR5, CPR9-SR5.1, and CPR9-SR6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (service outage or RNADiagReceiver.exe daemon crash) via UDP data that specifies a negative integer value.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/28/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4713 represents a critical integer signedness error within the RNADiagnostics.dll component of Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Services Platform versions ranging from CPR9 through CPR9-SR6. This flaw exists in the RNADiagReceiver.exe daemon process that handles UDP communication for industrial automation systems. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of integer values received through UDP packets, specifically failing to properly handle negative integer values that should be treated as unsigned quantities. This type of error falls under CWE-191 Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound) which is classified as a fundamental programming error in software development. The issue manifests when the system receives malformed UDP data containing negative integer values that are processed without proper bounds checking, leading to unexpected behavior in the diagnostic service.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially compromise industrial control system integrity. When remote attackers send specially crafted UDP packets containing negative integer values, the RNADiagnostics.dll module fails to properly handle these values, resulting in service outages or complete daemon crashes. This disruption can affect critical manufacturing processes that rely on FactoryTalk Services Platform for monitoring and control operations. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic example of how improper input validation can lead to system instability, with the ATT&CK framework categorizing this as a Denial of Service technique that can be executed remotely without authentication. The affected versions indicate this was a widespread issue affecting multiple service releases of the platform, suggesting the vulnerability was not properly addressed in the software lifecycle.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal network access and can be performed remotely, making it particularly dangerous in industrial environments where network segmentation may be limited. Attackers need only send UDP packets containing negative integers to the vulnerable service port to trigger the crash condition. This type of attack is classified as a remote code execution risk, though in this specific case it manifests as a denial of service rather than arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability's presence in multiple service releases indicates a persistent issue in the codebase that was not properly addressed during security reviews or patch development cycles. Organizations utilizing Rockwell Automation products should consider this vulnerability as part of their industrial cybersecurity posture, particularly in environments where operational technology systems require high availability and continuous operation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of affected FactoryTalk Services Platform versions, implementing network segmentation to restrict UDP access to only authorized systems, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious UDP traffic patterns. Network administrators should also consider disabling unnecessary UDP services when possible and implementing proper access controls to limit who can communicate with the vulnerable daemon. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper integer handling in security-critical applications and demonstrates why adherence to secure coding practices is essential in industrial control systems. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their industrial control systems to identify similar issues that may exist in other components of their automation infrastructure, particularly in legacy systems that may not receive regular security updates.