CVE-2023-34348 in PI Server
Summary
by MITRE • 01/18/2024
AVEVA PI Server versions 2023 and 2018 SP3 P05 and prior contain a vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated user to remotely crash the PI Message Subsystem of a PI Server, resulting in a denial-of-service condition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-34348 affects AVEVA PI Server versions 2023 and 2018 SP3 P05 and earlier, representing a critical denial-of-service weakness that compromises the integrity of industrial automation systems. This vulnerability specifically targets the PI Message Subsystem, which serves as a fundamental component for data communication and messaging within AVEVA PI Server environments. The flaw enables unauthenticated remote attackers to initiate crash conditions that disrupt normal system operations, potentially affecting critical infrastructure monitoring and control systems. The affected versions indicate this represents a persistent issue spanning multiple release cycles, suggesting inadequate security testing or remediation processes during the software development lifecycle.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and error handling within the PI Message Subsystem's network communication protocols. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending specially crafted malicious messages or connection requests that trigger buffer overflows, memory corruption, or resource exhaustion conditions within the subsystem. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflows. The lack of authentication requirements for exploitation indicates a fundamental flaw in the security architecture where the system accepts potentially harmful inputs without proper verification mechanisms.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-34348 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can compromise the reliability of industrial control systems that depend on continuous data flow from PI Server components. Organizations utilizing AVEVA PI Server for process automation, monitoring, and data acquisition may experience significant operational downtime when this vulnerability is exploited, potentially leading to production halts, safety system degradation, or compliance violations in regulated environments. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target affected systems from external networks without requiring prior access credentials, making it particularly dangerous in industrial environments where network segmentation may be limited. This weakness can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and represents a critical threat to industrial cybersecurity frameworks.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the latest security patches released by AVEVA, implementing network segmentation to limit access to PI Server components, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious network activity targeting the affected subsystem. Additional defensive measures should include disabling unnecessary network services, implementing strict access controls, and conducting comprehensive vulnerability assessments of industrial control systems. The remediation process must consider the critical nature of industrial systems where immediate patching may not be feasible, requiring careful planning of maintenance windows and rollback procedures to ensure operational continuity while addressing the security weakness.