Siemens has released a security bulletin regarding a vulnerability in its SINUMERIK automation systems, including SINUMERIK ONE, SINUMERIK 840D, and SINUMERIK 828D. The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-41171, is caused by incorrect permission assignment for critical resources. Specifically, the affected devices fail to properly enforce access restrictions to scripts that are executed with elevated privileges. As a result, an authenticated local attacker could exploit this flaw to escalate their privileges within the system, potentially gaining unauthorized control. The CVSS v4 score for this vulnerability is 9.3, indicating a high level of severity.
The affected SINUMERIK products include all versions of SINUMERIK 828D V4, versions prior to V5.24 of SINUMERIK 828D V5, all versions of SINUMERIK 840D sl V4, and versions earlier than V6.24 of SINUMERIK ONE. The vulnerability could be exploited by an attacker with local access to the system who can manipulate the execution of scripts that normally run with elevated privileges. This would allow the attacker to gain control over the underlying system and bypass normal security controls. While no public exploits have been identified, the risk remains high for organizations using these systems in critical manufacturing environments.
Siemens has provided recommendations for mitigating this vulnerability. Users of SINUMERIK ONE and SINUMERIK 828D V5 should update to the latest available versions, V6.24 and V5.24, respectively, as these contain fixes for the identified flaw. However, for SINUMERIK 828D V4 and SINUMERIK 840D sl V4, no fixes are currently planned, leaving users of these versions vulnerable to potential exploitation. Siemens advises customers to work closely with Siemens customer support or local partners to discuss available mitigation options, as the company has not yet released a patch for all affected versions.
In addition to applying the necessary updates, Siemens recommends users implement robust security measures to protect network access to these devices. This includes configuring their IT environment according to Siemens’ industrial security guidelines and following the best practices outlined in the product manuals. By taking these steps, users can reduce the risk of exploitation and ensure the security of their critical manufacturing systems.
Reference:
