Siemens Simcenter STAR-CCM+ Viewer

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• CVSS v3 7.8
• ATTENTION: Low attack complexity
• Vendor: Siemens
• Equipment: Simcenter STAR-CCM+ Viewer
• Vulnerability: Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer

2. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could cause a crash, arbitrary code execution, or data exfiltration.

3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following versions of Simcenter STAR-CCM+ Viewer, a computational fluid dynamics software, are affected:

• Simcenter STAR-CCM+ Viewer: All versions prior to 2022.1

3.2 VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

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

The starview+.exe allows a corruption vulnerability while parsing specially crafted .SCE files. This could allow an attacker to execute code in the context of the current process.

CVE-2022-24661 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.3 BACKGROUND

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

3.4 RESEARCHER

Jin Huang from ADLab of Venustech reported this vulnerability to Siemens.

4. MITIGATIONS

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

• Update to 2022.1 or later version
• Do not open untrusted scene files from unknown sources

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 following the recommendations in the product manuals. Additional information on Industrial Security by Siemens can be found at: https://www.siemens.com/industrialsecurity

For more information see Siemens Security Advisory SSA-166747

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 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 this vulnerability. This vulnerability is not exploitable remotely.

• Siemens