Full Report
[Control systems] ABB security advisory (AV26-232)
Analysis Summary
# Vulnerability: Stack Buffer Overflow in ABB AC500 V3 Cryptographic Message Syntax
## CVE Details
- **CVE ID:** CVE-2025-15467
- **CVSS Score:** Pending (Analysis suggests High/Critical based on typical stack buffer overflows in PLC firmware)
- **CWE:** CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow)
## Affected Systems
- **Products:** AC500 V3 PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)
- **Versions:** Firmware version 3.9.0
- **Configurations:** Systems utilizing Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) for secure communication or package verification.
## Vulnerability Description
A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) implementation of the ABB AC500 V3 firmware. The flaw occurs due to improper validation of the length of input data before copying it to a fixed-size stack buffer. An attacker could send a specially crafted CMS message to the device, leading to a memory corruption condition.
## Exploitation
- **Status:** No reports of exploitation in the wild at the time of advisory; PoC not publicly disclosed.
- **Complexity:** Medium (Requires knowledge of the specific CMS implementation and memory layout of the AC500 V3).
- **Attack Vector:** Network (Typically targets management or communication ports handling cryptographic operations).
## Impact
- **Confidentiality:** Partial (Potential memory leakage).
- **Integrity:** High (Potential for unauthorized modification of device configuration).
- **Availability:** High (Can lead to device crash, Denial of Service (DoS), or arbitrary code execution).
## Remediation
### Patches
- ABB recommends updating to a firmware version subsequent to 3.9.0 (refer to the official ABB portal for the specific maintenance release addressing this CVE).
### Workarounds
- **Network Segmentation:** Isolate AC500 V3 PLCs from the corporate network and the internet using industrial firewalls.
- **Access Control:** Restrict access to the PLC's communication ports to only authorized engineering workstations.
- **Disable Unused Services:** Disable any cryptographic services or CMS-based features if they are not required for the specific industrial process.
## Detection
- **Indicators of Compromise:** Unexpected reboots of the AC500 V3 PLC; malformed CMS packets detected in network traffic logs.
- **Detection methods and tools:** Use Industrial Control System (ICS) aware firewalls or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to monitor for non-compliant CMS traffic.
## References
- ABB Advisory (PDF): hxxps[://]search[.]abb[.]com/library/Download[.]aspx?DocumentID=3ADR011536&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=Launch
- ABB Cyber Security Alerts: hxxps[://]global[.]abb/group/en/technology/cyber-security/alerts-and-notifications
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: hxxps[://]www[.]cyber[.]gc[.]ca/en/alerts-advisories/control-systems-abb-security-advisory-av26-232