CVE-2025-7745 in AC500 V2
Summary
by MITRE • 07/24/2025
: Buffer Over-read vulnerability in ABB AC500 V2.This issue affects AC500 V2: through 2.5.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/24/2025
The buffer over-read vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-7745 resides within ABB AC500 V2 industrial control systems, specifically impacting versions through 2.5.2. This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that could potentially compromise the integrity and availability of industrial automation environments. The AC500 V2 platform serves as a foundational component in industrial process control systems, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for operational technology infrastructure. The issue stems from improper bounds checking within the software's memory management routines, where input data is processed without adequate validation of buffer boundaries. This flaw allows an attacker to read memory locations beyond the allocated buffer space, potentially exposing sensitive system information, configuration data, or even executable code segments that could be leveraged for further exploitation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic buffer over-read condition that aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities in software systems. This flaw operates at the application layer within the AC500 V2 firmware, where network protocols or data processing functions fail to properly validate input lengths before accessing memory buffers. Attackers could potentially exploit this condition by crafting malicious input data that triggers the over-read behavior, leading to information disclosure or system instability. The vulnerability's impact is amplified in industrial environments where AC500 V2 systems control critical processes, as the information disclosure could reveal system configurations, operational parameters, or communication protocols that adversaries could use to plan more sophisticated attacks. The over-read condition may also cause system crashes or unexpected behavior, potentially leading to operational disruptions in mission-critical industrial processes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations relying on ABB AC500 V2 systems for industrial automation and control. The potential for information disclosure means that attackers could gain insights into system architecture, communication patterns, and operational parameters that would normally remain protected. In industrial control environments, such information disclosure could enable adversaries to understand system dependencies, identify critical control points, or develop targeted attacks against specific operational functions. The vulnerability's exploitation could result in denial of service conditions, where system instability causes operational interruptions, or in more severe cases, could provide a foothold for additional attacks that might compromise the broader industrial control network. The impact extends beyond immediate system compromise, as the information gained could be used to develop more advanced persistent threats or to conduct targeted attacks against other connected systems within the industrial ecosystem.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates as soon as they become available to address this vulnerability. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened around AC500 V2 systems to limit potential attack vectors and reduce the blast radius of any successful exploitation attempts. Monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on unusual data processing patterns or memory access violations. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their industrial control environments to identify all instances of AC500 V2 systems and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place. Additionally, implementing runtime protection mechanisms and intrusion detection systems specifically designed for industrial environments can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date threat intelligence for industrial control systems and following industry best practices outlined in standards such as IEC 62443 and NIST SP 800-82 for securing industrial automation and control systems. Organizations should also consider implementing zero-trust principles within their industrial networks, ensuring that all communications are authenticated and authorized regardless of their origin within the network infrastructure.