Siemens SIMATIC Ident MV440 Family (Update A)

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• CVSS v3 7.1
• ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low skill level to exploit
• Vendor: Siemens
• Equipment: SIMATIC Ident MV440 Familiy
• Vulnerabilities: Improper Privilege Management, Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information

2. UPDATE INFORMATION

This updated advisory is a follow-up to the original advisory titled ICSA-19-162-02 Siemens SIMATIC Ident MV440 Family that was published June 11, 2019, to the ICS webpage on us-cert.cisa.gov. 

3. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow a remote attacker to escalate privileges and view data transmitted between the device and the user.

4. TECHNICAL DETAILS

4.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following SIMATIC Ident families are affected:

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• SIMATIC MV440 family: All versions prior to v7.0.6

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4.2 VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

4.2.1    IMPROPER PRIVILEGE MANAGEMENT CWE-269

An authenticated attacker could escalate privileges by sending specially crafted requests to the integrated webserver. 

CVE-2019-10925 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 7.1 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L).

4.2.2    CLEARTEXT TRANSMISSION OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION CWE-319

Communication with the device is not encrypted. Data transmitted between the device and the user can be obtained by an attacker in a privileged network position. 

CVE-2019-10926 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 5.3 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

4.3 BACKGROUND

• CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS: Critical Manufacturing
• COUNTRIES/AREAS DEPLOYED: Worldwide
• COMPANY HEADQUARTERS LOCATION: Germany

4.4 RESEARCHER

Siemens PSIRT reported these vulnerabilities to CISA.

5. MITIGATIONS

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Siemens has released an update for the SIMATIC MV400 family and recommends updating to the latest version (v7.0.6). 

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Siemens has identified the following specific workarounds and mitigations users can apply to reduce risk:

• By setting the DISA bit, changes to the project by logged-in users can be prevented. Please refer to the operating instructions for more details.
• Protect network access to affected devices.

For more information see Siemens security advisory SSA-816980

CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of this vulnerability. Specifically, users should:

• Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, and ensure that they are not accessible from the Internet.
• Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls, and isolate them from the business network.
• When remote access is required, use secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), recognizing VPNs may have vulnerabilities and should be updated to the most current version available. Also recognize VPN is only as secure as the connected devices.

CISA reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.



CISA also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS webpage on us-cert.cisa.gov. Several recommended practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies.

Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available on the ICS webpage on us-cert.cisa.gov in the Technical Information Paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B--Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies.



Organizations observing any suspected malicious activity should follow their established internal procedures and report their findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents.

CISA also recommends users take the following measures to protect themselves from social engineering attacks: 

• Do not click web links or open unsolicited attachments in email messages. 
• Refer to Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams for more information on avoiding email scams. 
• Refer to Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks.

No known public exploits specifically target these vulnerabilities.

• Siemens