CVE-2024-5000 in Control for BeagleBone SL
Summary
by MITRE • 06/04/2024
An unauthenticated remote attacker can use a malicious OPC UA client to send a crafted request to affected CODESYS products which can cause a DoS due to incorrect calculation of buffer size.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2024
This vulnerability resides within CODESYS products that implement the OPC UA protocol, creating a significant remote denial of service risk for industrial control systems. The flaw manifests when an unauthenticated attacker crafts a malicious OPC UA client request that manipulates buffer size calculations during protocol processing. This improper handling of buffer dimensions allows the attacker to trigger a system crash or service interruption without requiring any authentication credentials or privileged access to the affected systems.
The technical mechanism underlying this vulnerability involves the incorrect computation of buffer sizes within the OPC UA implementation of CODESYS software. When processing incoming requests, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize the buffer size parameters provided by the client, leading to potential memory corruption or allocation errors. This type of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-129 Input Validation and CWE-131 Incorrect Number of Bytes for Buffer Operations, both of which are classified as critical weaknesses in software security design. The vulnerability enables an attacker to cause the target system to enter an unstable state or completely cease operations, effectively rendering the industrial control system unavailable to legitimate users.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a severe threat to industrial environments that rely on CODESYS for automation and control functions. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit the flaw from outside the network perimeter, potentially affecting critical infrastructure such as manufacturing plants, power generation facilities, or water treatment systems. The lack of authentication requirements makes this attack vector particularly dangerous as it can be executed by anyone with network access to the affected systems. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application and T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service, representing both application exploitation and service disruption techniques that could have cascading effects on industrial operations and safety systems.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption as it can compromise the availability of critical industrial processes that depend on continuous operation. Organizations utilizing CODESYS products in operational technology environments face potential production halts, safety system degradation, and increased risk of more severe security incidents. The vulnerability's characteristics suggest that it may be exploitable through automated scanning tools, making it particularly dangerous for systems that are not properly segmented or monitored. Effective mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of vendor patches, network segmentation to limit exposure, implementation of intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious OPC UA traffic patterns, and regular vulnerability assessments of industrial control system components. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network access controls that restrict OPC UA communication to authorized systems only and maintain comprehensive incident response procedures to address potential exploitation attempts.