Siemens Solid Edge

As of January 10, 2023, CISA will no longer be updating ICS security advisories for Siemens product vulnerabilities beyond the initial advisory. For the most up-to-date information on vulnerabilities in this advisory, please see Siemens' ProductCERT Security Advisories (CERT Services | Services | Siemens Global).

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• CVSS v3 7.8
• ATTENTION: Low attack complexity
• Vendor: Siemens
• Equipment: Solid Edge
• Vulnerabilities: NULL Pointer Dereference, Out-of-bounds Read, Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer

2. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or crash the application.

3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following Siemens products are affected:

• Solid Edge SE2023: All versions prior to V223.0 Update 3
• Solid Edge SE2023: All versions prior to V223.0 Update 2

3.2 VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

3.2.1 NULL POINTER DEREFERENCE CWE-476 

STEPTools v18SP1 ifcmesh library (v18.1) is affected due to a null pointer dereference, which could allow an attacker to deny application usage when reading a specially constructed file, resulting in an application crash. 

CVE-2023-0973 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 2.2 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L). 

3.2.2 OUT-OF-BOUNDS READ CWE-125 

Affected applications contain an out-of-bounds read past the end of an allocated buffer while parsing a specially crafted OBJ file. This vulnerability could allow an attacker to disclose sensitive information. 

CVE-2023-30985 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 3.3 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N). 

3.2.3 IMPROPER RESTRICTION OF OPERATIONS WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF A MEMORY BUFFER CWE-119 

Affected applications contain a memory corruption vulnerability while parsing specially crafted STP files. This could allow an attacker to execute code in the context of the current process. 

CVE-2023-30986 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). 

3.3 BACKGROUND

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

3.4 RESEARCHER

Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative reported these vulnerabilities to Siemens.

4. MITIGATIONS

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

• Solid Edge SE2023: Update to V223.0 Update 3 or later version.
• Solid Edge SE2023: Update to V223.0 Update 2 or later version.
• Avoid opening untrusted files from unknown sources in Solid Edge.

For further inquiries on security vulnerabilities in Siemens products, users should contact Siemens.  

As a general security measure, Siemens recommends protecting network access to devices with appropriate mechanisms. To operate the devices in a protected IT environment, Siemens recommends configuring the environment according to Siemens' operational guidelines for industrial security and following recommendations in the product manuals. 

Additional information on industrial security by Siemens can be found on the Siemens industrial security webpage. 

For more information, see the associated Siemens security advisory SSA-932528 in HTML and CSAF. 

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

• Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, and ensure they are not accessible from the Internet.
• Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls and isolate them from business networks.
• 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 its 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 at cisa.gov/ics. Several CISA products detailing cyber defense best 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 at cisa.gov/ics in the technical information paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B--Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies. 

Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report 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 attachments in unsolicited 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.

These vulnerabilities are not exploitable remotely.