CVE-2023-3596 in 1756-EN4
Summary
by MITRE • 07/12/2023
Where this vulnerability exists in the Rockwell Automation 1756-EN4* Ethernet/IP communication products, it could allow a malicious user to cause a denial of service by asserting the target system through maliciously crafted CIP messages.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-3596 affects Rockwell Automation 1756-EN4 Ethernet/IP communication products, representing a critical security flaw that could be exploited to disrupt operational technology systems. This issue resides within the Ethernet/IP communication protocols that are fundamental to industrial automation networks, where the 1756-EN4 series devices serve as crucial communication endpoints in manufacturing and industrial control environments. The vulnerability specifically impacts the handling of CIP (Common Industrial Protocol) messages, which form the backbone of communication within these industrial networks and are essential for device configuration, data exchange, and control operations.
The technical flaw manifests when the affected devices process maliciously crafted CIP messages that trigger an improper response mechanism within the communication stack. This improper handling leads to a denial of service condition where the target system becomes unresponsive or crashes, effectively disrupting the industrial process that relies on these communication devices. The vulnerability exploits the lack of proper input validation and message parsing within the CIP implementation, allowing attackers to send specially formatted packets that cause the device to enter an unrecoverable state or consume excessive system resources. This behavior aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of input boundaries, and reflects common patterns in industrial protocol implementations where robustness checks are insufficient to handle malformed inputs.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can compromise the integrity of industrial control systems that depend on continuous communication between devices. In manufacturing environments, the disruption caused by such a denial of service attack could result in production halts, quality control failures, and potential safety risks when critical process controls become unavailable. The affected Rockwell Automation devices operate within the industrial control systems (ICS) domain where availability is paramount, and any disruption can cascade through the entire production line. The vulnerability's exploitation potential is particularly concerning in environments where these devices are deployed as part of critical infrastructure, as the attack could be executed remotely over the network without requiring physical access to the equipment.
Organizations must implement immediate mitigations to protect their industrial systems from exploitation of this vulnerability, including network segmentation to isolate critical devices, deployment of network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous CIP traffic patterns, and application of firmware updates provided by Rockwell Automation. The mitigation strategies should align with established industrial cybersecurity frameworks such as NIST SP 800-82 and IEC 62443, which emphasize the importance of network segmentation, continuous monitoring, and secure configuration management. Additionally, implementing access controls and authentication mechanisms for communication protocols can help reduce the attack surface and prevent unauthorized access to these critical industrial devices. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices in industrial protocols and the necessity of regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar flaws in operational technology systems.