Siemens SIMATIC STEP 7 and Derived Products

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 9.9
• ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low attack complexity
• Vendor: Siemens
• Equipment: SIMATIC PCS 7, SIMATIC S7-PM, SIMATIC STEP 7 V5
• Vulnerability: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')

2. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow remote users with low privileges to use embedded functions of the database (local or in a network share) that have impact on the server.

3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following products from Siemens are affected: 

• SIMATIC PCS 7: All versions
• SIMATIC S7-PM: All versions
• SIMATIC STEP 7 V5: All versions prior to V5.7

3.2 VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

3.2.1 IMPROPER CONTROL OF GENERATION OF CODE ('CODE INJECTION') CWE-94

The affected product contains a database management system that could allow remote users with low privileges to use embedded functions of the database (local or in a network share) that have impact on the server. An attacker with network access to the server network could leverage these embedded functions to run code with elevated privileges in the database management system's server.

CVE-2023-25910 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 9.9 has been assigned. The CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.3 BACKGROUND

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

3.4 RESEARCHER

Siemens reported this vulnerability to CISA.

4. MITIGATIONS

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

• If only one Engineering System is in use, consider changing to "Single terminal system" mode in the "Configure SIMATIC Workspace/Workstation" application, under the "Workstation Configuration" tab. Restart the computer. More details can be found in the following FAQ: https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/ww/en/view/109821340/
• SIMATIC STEP 7 V5: Update to V5.7 or later version
• SIMATIC PCS 7: Currently no fix is available
• SIMATIC S7-PM: Currently no fix is planned
• SIMATIC S7-PM: Switch to "Single terminal system" (as described in the section Workarounds and Mitigations). Alternatively, consider migrating the STEP 7 project to the latest version of TIA Portal and uninstall S7-PM

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-968170 in HTML and CSAF.

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 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.

No known public exploits specifically target this vulnerability.