CVE-2016-8374 in Magelis
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Schneider Electric Magelis HMI Magelis GTO Advanced Optimum Panels, all versions, Magelis GTU Universal Panel, all versions, Magelis STO5xx and STU Small panels, all versions, Magelis XBT GH Advanced Hand-held Panels, all versions, Magelis XBT GK Advanced Touchscreen Panels with Keyboard, all versions, Magelis XBT GT Advanced Touchscreen Panels, all versions, and Magelis XBT GTW Advanced Open Touchscreen Panels (Windows XPe). An attacker may be able to disrupt a targeted web server, resulting in a denial of service because of UNCONTROLLED RESOURCE CONSUMPTION.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2020
This vulnerability affects Schneider Electric Magelis HMI panels running Windows XPe operating system across multiple product lines including GTO Advanced Optimum Panels, GTU Universal Panels, STO5xx and STU Small panels, and various XBT touch panel models. The issue represents a critical resource consumption flaw that can be exploited to cause denial of service conditions. The vulnerability manifests when an attacker can disrupt targeted web servers through uncontrolled resource consumption, potentially leading to system instability and operational disruption in industrial control environments.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient resource management within the web server implementation of these industrial HMI devices. When processing certain network requests or web server operations, the system fails to properly limit or monitor resource utilization, allowing malicious actors to consume excessive memory, CPU cycles, or other system resources. This uncontrolled consumption can lead to system crashes, service interruptions, or complete system unresponsiveness. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because these HMI panels operate in critical industrial environments where continuous operation is essential for process control and safety systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise industrial process control systems. In manufacturing, process control, or critical infrastructure environments, the denial of service could lead to production halts, safety system failures, or operational inefficiencies. The affected devices are commonly used in environments where uptime is critical, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous. Attackers could exploit this weakness to cause operational disruptions that might require manual intervention, system restarts, or even physical access to restore normal operations.
Mitigation strategies should focus on network segmentation and access control to limit exposure of these devices to untrusted networks. Implementing firewall rules to restrict web server access to authorized personnel only can significantly reduce attack surface. Regular firmware updates from Schneider Electric should be applied promptly to address known vulnerabilities. Network monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect unusual resource consumption patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400 which describes unrestricted resource consumption, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1499 which covers network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures for dealing with potential service disruption events in their industrial control environments.