CVE-2024-4549 in DIAEnergie
Summary
by MITRE • 05/06/2024
A denial of service vulnerability exists in Delta Electronics DIAEnergie v1.10.1.8610 and prior. When processing an 'ICS Restart!' message, CEBC.exe restarts the system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/08/2024
This vulnerability resides within Delta Electronics DIAEnergie software version 1.10.1.8610 and earlier releases, representing a critical denial of service condition that can be exploited through manipulation of industrial control system communications. The flaw manifests when the CEBC.exe process receives an 'ICS Restart!' message, triggering an unintended system restart that disrupts operational continuity in industrial environments. This represents a fundamental failure in input validation and message processing protocols within the industrial communication stack, where legitimate administrative commands are not properly differentiated from potentially malicious or malformed inputs that could cause system instability. The vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the industrial control system security triad, as it allows an attacker to induce system downtime through simple message injection techniques that do not require elevated privileges or complex attack vectors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a lack of proper message validation and access control mechanisms within the CEBC.exe component, which operates as a core process in the Delta Electronics energy management system. When processing the specific 'ICS Restart!' message format, the system fails to validate the message source or integrity, leading to automatic system restart without proper authorization checks or operational context validation. This behavior aligns with CWE-20: Improper Input Validation, where insufficient validation of input data results in unexpected system behavior. The vulnerability essentially creates a condition where any entity capable of sending messages to the system can trigger an immediate restart, effectively rendering the industrial control system temporarily unavailable and disrupting critical operations.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability poses significant risks to industrial environments that depend on continuous operation and stable control systems, particularly in energy management and industrial automation contexts. The unauthorized triggering of system restarts can result in production halts, data loss, and potential safety issues in environments where continuous operation is critical. The attack surface is relatively broad as it only requires the ability to send messages to the affected system, making it accessible to various threat actors including those with limited network access or those who have gained access through other means. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability and reliability of industrial processes, potentially causing cascading failures in connected systems and creating operational downtime that can result in substantial financial losses and safety risks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper access controls and message validation mechanisms within the industrial control system architecture. Organizations should deploy network segmentation and access control measures to limit message injection capabilities to authorized personnel only, while also implementing message authentication and integrity checks to prevent unauthorized system restart commands from being processed. The recommended approach includes updating to the latest firmware version that addresses this specific vulnerability, implementing network monitoring to detect unusual restart patterns, and establishing proper operational procedures for message handling in industrial environments. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability relates to T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service, where adversaries exploit system vulnerabilities to cause service disruption. Additionally, the vulnerability aligns with NIST SP 800-82 guidelines for industrial control systems security, which emphasize the importance of validating all inputs and implementing proper access controls to prevent unauthorized system modifications. The solution requires both immediate patch deployment and long-term architectural improvements to ensure that industrial control systems maintain their operational integrity against such denial of service attacks.