Vulnerability intelligence company VulnCheck issued a warning about an actively exploited vulnerability in Contec’s SolarView solar power monitoring product, which could leave hundreds of energy organizations vulnerable to attacks.
Contec specializes in custom embedded computing and IoT communication technology, with SolarView being used at over 30,000 power stations.
Palo Alto Networks recently reported that a Mirai variant has been leveraging the vulnerability, CVE-2022-29303, to compromise devices and incorporate them into a botnet. The code injection flaw, which affects SolarView version 6.0, can be remotely exploited by unauthenticated attackers.
VulnCheck’s analysis reveals that the security hole was only addressed with the release of version 8.0, leaving versions dating back to at least 4.0 still impacted. A Shodan search highlights over 600 internet-exposed SolarView systems, with more than 400 running vulnerable versions.
While the exploitation of the system alone may not seem significant, VulnCheck explains that the impact can be substantial, especially if the hardware is integrated into a solar power generation site. Attackers could potentially cause loss of productivity and revenue by utilizing the compromised hardware as a network pivot to target other ICS resources.
The fact that CVE-2022-29303 has been actively exploited comes as no surprise, considering that the exploit and exploitation instructions have been public since May 2022.
VulnCheck also warns about other SolarView vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors, including more recent ones such as CVE-2023-23333 and CVE-2022-44354.
It is crucial for energy organizations using SolarView to ensure they have updated to the latest patched version and remain vigilant against potential attacks, as the consequences of a successful exploitation could be significant for their operations and revenue.
