Siemens SINEC NMS (Update A)

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 7.3
• ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low attack complexity
• Vendor: Siemens
• Equipment: SINEC NMS
• Vulnerabilities: SQL Injection, Deserialization of Untrusted Data, Improper Privilege Management

2.  UPDATE OR REPOSTED INFORMATION

This updated advisory is a follow-up to the original advisory titled ICSA-22-069-03 Siemens SINEC NMS that was published March 10, 2022, on the ICS webpage on cisa.gov/ICS.

3. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to achieve privilege escalation, execute arbitrary code on the system, or execute arbitrary commands on the local database.

4. TECHNICAL DETAILS

4.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following versions of Siemens SINEC NMS, a network management system, are affected:

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• SINEC NMS: All versions prior to 1.0.3
• SINEC NMS: Version 1.0.3 and prior (only affected by CVE-2022-24282, CVE-2022-25311)

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4.2 VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

4.2.1    IMPROPER NEUTRALIZATION OF SPECIAL ELEMENTS USED IN AN SQL COMMAND (SQL INJECTION) CWE-89

The affected product is vulnerable when a privileged authenticated attacker executes arbitrary commands in the local database by sending specially crafted requests to the webserver.

CVE-2022-24281 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 7.2 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

4.2.2    DESERIALIZATION OF UNTRUSTED DATA CWE-502

The affected product allows an attacker to upload JSON objects that are deserialized to Java objects. Due to insecure deserialization of user-supplied content by the affected software, a privileged attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a maliciously crafted serialized Java object. This could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the device with root privileges.

CVE-2022-24282 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 7.2 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

4.2.3    IMPROPER PRIVILEGE MANAGEMENT CWE-269

The affected product does not properly check privileges between users during the same web browser session, creating an unintended sphere of control. This could allow an authenticated low-privileged user to achieve privilege escalation.

CVE-2022-25311 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 7.3 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

4.3 BACKGROUND

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

4.4 RESEARCHER

Siemens reported these vulnerabilities to CISA.

5. MITIGATIONS

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Siemens recommends updating to version 1.0.3 or later.

For CVE-2022-24282 and CVE-2022-25311 all versions 1.0.3 and prior, there is currently no fix available.

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

• Restrict access to the affected systems, especially to Port TCP 443, to trusted IP addresses only.
• For CVE-2022-25311, If SSO was established and user is authenticated in both Control and Operation, it is recommended to logout explicitly in both Control and Operation to avoid privilege escalation.

As a general security measure, Siemens strongly recommends protecting network access to devices with appropriate mechanisms. In order to operate the devices in a protected IT environment, Siemens recommends configuring the environment according to Siemens' operational guidelines for Industrial Security, and to follow the recommendations in the product manuals. Additional information on industrial security by Siemens can be found at: https://www.siemens.com/industrialsecurity

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For more information see Siemens Security Advisory SSA-250085 in HTML or CSAF.

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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 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 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 on 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 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.

No known public exploits specifically target these vulnerabilities.

• Siemens