Schneider Electric EcoStruxure™

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• CVSS v4 8.5
• ATTENTION: Low attack complexity
• Vendor: Schneider Electric
• Equipment: EcoStruxure™
• Vulnerability: Improper Privilege Management

2. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to cause a local privilege escalation, which could result in loss of confidentiality, integrity and availability of the engineering workstation.

3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following versions of EcoStruxure™ are affected:

• EcoStruxure™ Process Expert: Versions 2020R2, 2021 & 2023 (prior to v4.8.0.5715)
• EcoStruxure™ Process Expert for AVEVA System Platform: Versions 2020R2, 2021 & 2023

3.2 VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

3.2.1 IMPROPER PRIVILEGE MANAGEMENT CWE-269

An improper privilege management vulnerability exists for two services, one managing audit trail data and the other acting as server managing client request, that could cause a loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of engineering workstation when an attacker with standard privilege modifies the executable path of the windows services. To be exploited, services need to be restarted.

CVE-2025-0327 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2025-0327. A base score of 8.5 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N).

3.3 BACKGROUND

• CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS: Commercial Facilities, Critical Manufacturing, Energy, Water and Wastewater Systems
• COUNTRIES/AREAS DEPLOYED: Worldwide
• COMPANY HEADQUARTERS LOCATION: France

3.4 RESEARCHER

Charit Misra, DNV Cyber reported this vulnerability to Schneider Electric.

4. MITIGATIONS

Schneider Electric has identified the following specific remediations and mitigations users can apply to reduce risk:

• Version v4.8.0.5715 of EcoStruxure™ Process Expert 2023 Software Package includes a fix for this vulnerability and is available for download.
• Uninstall Version 2023 (v4.8.0.5115) before installing Version 2023 (v4.8.0.5715). Version string can be found on engineering server console.

Users should use appropriate patching methodologies when applying these patches to their systems. Schneider Electric strongly recommend the use of back-ups and evaluating the impact of these patches in a Test and Development environment or on an offline infrastructure. Contact Schneider Electric's Customer Care Center for assistance removing a patch.

If users choose not to apply the remediation provided above, they should immediately apply the following mitigations to reduce the risk of exploit:

• EcoStruxure™ Process Expert Versions 2020R2, 2021 & 2023 (prior to v4.8.0.5715): Allow execute permission for service control Windows utility only to admin user. McAfee Application and Change Control software for application control to allow execution of whitelisted applications only. Refer to the Cybersecurity Application Note.
• EcoStruxure™ Process Expert for AVEVA System Platform Versions 2020R2, 2021 & 2023: Schneider Electric is establishing a remediation plan for all future versions of EcoStruxure™ Process Expert for AVEVA System Platform that will include a fix for this vulnerability. Schneider Electric will update SEVD-2025-042-03 when the remediation is available. Until then, users should immediately apply the following mitigations to reduce the risk of exploit: Allow only admin users to configure windows service by restricting execute permission of sc.exe windows utility. McAfee Application and Change Control software for application control to allow execution of whitelisted applications only. Refer to the Cybersecurity Application Note.

Schneider Electric strongly recommend the following industry cybersecurity best practices.

• Locate control and safety system networks and remote devices behind firewalls and isolate them from the business network.
• Install physical controls so no unauthorized personnel can access your industrial control and safety systems, components, peripheral equipment, and networks.
• Place all controllers in locked cabinets and never leave them in the "Program" mode.
• Never connect programming software to any network other than the network intended for that device.
• Scan all methods of mobile data exchange with the isolated network such as CDs, USB drives, etc. before use in the terminals or any node connected to these networks.
• Never allow mobile devices that have connected to any other network besides the intended network to connect to the safety or control networks without proper sanitation.
• Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and systems and ensure that they are not accessible from the Internet.
• When remote access is required, use secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Recognize that VPNs may have vulnerabilities and should be updated to the most current version available. Also, understand that VPNs are only as secure as the connected devices.

For more information refer to the Schneider Electric Recommended Cybersecurity Best Practices document.

For more information, see Schneider Electric security notification "SEVD-2025-042-03 EcoStruxure Process Expert, EcoStruxure Process Expert for AVEVA System Platform".

CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of this vulnerability, such as:

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 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.

CISA encourages organizations to implement recommended cybersecurity strategies for proactive defense of ICS assets.

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 exploitation specifically targeting this vulnerability has been reported to CISA at this time. This vulnerability is not exploitable remotely.

5. UPDATE HISTORY

• March 20, 2025: Initial Publication

• Schneider Electric