CVE-2019-13537 in Power SCADA Operation
Summary
by MITRE
The IEC870IP driver for AVEVA�s Vijeo Citect and Citect SCADA and Schneider Electric�s Power SCADA Operation has a buffer overflow vulnerability that could result in a server-side crash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/15/2020
The CVE-2019-13537 vulnerability represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the IEC870IP driver component of industrial automation software ecosystems. This vulnerability specifically affects AVEVA's Vijeo Citect and Citect SCADA platforms as well as Schneider Electric's Power SCADA Operation systems, which are widely deployed in critical infrastructure environments including power generation, water treatment, and manufacturing facilities. The affected drivers facilitate communication between industrial control systems and external devices using the IEC 870 protocol standard, making them essential components in operational technology networks where reliability and security are paramount.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the IEC870IP driver module. When processing incoming network packets or data streams that conform to the IEC 870 protocol specification, the driver fails to properly bounds-check data buffers before copying received information into internal memory structures. This fundamental flaw allows an attacker to craft malicious data payloads that exceed the allocated buffer size, causing memory corruption and subsequent system instability. The vulnerability manifests as a server-side crash, which can result in complete service disruption for industrial control systems that depend on these communication drivers for device connectivity and data exchange operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-13537 extends beyond simple service interruption to potentially compromise the integrity of industrial control processes. In critical infrastructure environments where continuous operation is essential, a server crash can lead to production halts, safety system failures, or data loss that may require extensive recovery procedures. The vulnerability's exploitation potential aligns with attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the 'Execution' and 'Persistence' domains, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to establish footholds within industrial networks or disrupt operational continuity. The affected systems typically operate in isolated networks with limited external connectivity, making this vulnerability particularly concerning as it could serve as an initial access vector for more sophisticated attacks.
Organizations operating affected systems should implement immediate mitigations including applying vendor-provided patches, implementing network segmentation to limit access to affected drivers, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious traffic patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates weaknesses commonly associated with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, covering heap-based buffer overflow scenarios. Security teams should also consider implementing network access controls to restrict communication to only trusted sources and establish monitoring protocols to detect potential exploitation attempts. Given the industrial nature of these systems, organizations must balance security hardening with operational requirements to maintain system availability while addressing the identified vulnerability.