CVE-2023-37864 in WP 6xxx
Summary
by MITRE • 08/09/2023
In PHOENIX CONTACTs WP 6xxx series web panels in versions prior to 4.0.10 a remote attacker with SNMPv2 write privileges may use an a special SNMP request to gain full access to the device.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/09/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-37864 affects PHOENIX CONTACT's WP 6xxx series web panels, which are industrial human-machine interface devices commonly deployed in manufacturing and automation environments. These devices serve as critical interface points between operators and industrial control systems, making their security paramount to overall operational integrity. The affected versions prior to 4.0.10 contain a significant flaw in the Simple Network Management Protocol implementation that allows unauthorized remote access through specifically crafted SNMP requests.
This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the SNMPv2 implementation of the web panels. An attacker with write privileges to the SNMPv2 community string can exploit a specific SNMP request pattern that bypasses normal authentication procedures. The flaw essentially allows the attacker to escalate privileges and gain full administrative access to the device without requiring additional credentials or authentication factors. This represents a critical security weakness where a relatively low-privilege SNMP write access can be leveraged to achieve complete device compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for industrial environments where these web panels are deployed. Once compromised, attackers can manipulate the device configuration, access sensitive operational data, modify control parameters, and potentially disrupt critical manufacturing processes. The vulnerability undermines the security posture of industrial control systems by providing a direct path to device administration without proper authorization checks. Given that these panels often serve as gateways to broader industrial networks, the compromise of a single device can potentially lead to cascading security failures throughout the operational technology infrastructure. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage and CWE-284 for improper access control.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to version 4.0.10 or later, which contains the necessary security patches to address the SNMP access control flaw. Network segmentation should be implemented to limit SNMP access to only authorized management stations, and SNMP community strings should be changed from default values to strong, unique credentials. Additionally, implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous SNMP traffic patterns and establishing baseline network behavior for these devices can help identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of securing industrial protocols and demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws in network management protocols can result in complete device compromise. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning of industrial control systems are essential to identify and remediate similar issues before they can be exploited by threat actors.