Full Report
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ contains a privilege escalation vulnerability which could allow a local attacker with an unprivileged account to override or modify the service executable and subsequently gain elevated privileges. Siemens has released an update for Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and recommends to update to the latest version.
Analysis Summary
# Vulnerability: Privilege Escalation in Siemens Simcenter STAR-CCM+
## CVE Details
- **CVE ID:** CVE-2022-43517
- **CVSS Score:** 7.8 (High)
- **CVSS Vector:** CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- **CWE:** CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
## Affected Systems
- **Products:** Simcenter STAR-CCM+
- **Versions:** All versions prior to V2306
- **Configurations:** Systems where the application is installed with default or insecure file permissions that grant write access to non-administrative users.
## Vulnerability Description
The vulnerability stems from improper file permission assignments within the installation folders of Simcenter STAR-CCM+. Because the service executables or their containing directories are configured with weak Access Control Lists (ACLs), a local, unprivileged user can replace, modify, or inject malicious code into the service executable. As this service likely runs with higher privileges (such as SYSTEM or root), the modified code will execute with those elevated permissions the next time the service starts or is invoked.
## Exploitation
- **Status:** PoC available (Note: CVSS Exploit Code Maturity is listed as "P" for Proved/Proof-of-Concept)
- **Complexity:** Low
- **Attack Vector:** Local (Attacker must have existing access to the local system)
## Impact
- **Confidentiality:** High (Full access to system data)
- **Integrity:** High (Ability to modify system files and configurations)
- **Availability:** High (Ability to crash the service or delete critical files)
## Remediation
### Patches
- **Simcenter STAR-CCM+ V2306 or later:** Siemens recommends updating to the latest version to resolve the permission issues.
- Download link: hxxps://support[.]sw[.]siemens[.]com/en-US/product/226870983/
### Workarounds
- **Manual Permission Hardening:** Administrators should manually audit the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ installation path and remove "Write" or "Modify" permissions for non-administrative users/groups on all files and folders.
- **General Hardening:** Follow Siemens' operational guidelines for Industrial Security to protect the IT environment.
## Detection
- **Indicators of Compromise:**
- Unexpected modifications to file attributes or timestamps within the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ installation directory.
- Presence of unauthorized executable files or scripts in the application folders.
- System logs showing the STAR-CCM+ service starting from an unusual location or with modified binary hashes.
- **Detection Methods:**
- Use File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) tools to alert on changes within `C:\Program Files\` (or the custom install path).
- Audit NTFS/Linux permissions on the installation directory to ensure only Administrators/Root have write access.
## References
- **Vendor Advisory:** hxxps://cert-portal[.]siemens[.]com/productcert/pdf/ssa-930100[.]pdf
- **Siemens Industrial Security:** hxxps://www[.]siemens[.]com/industrialsecurity
- **CWE-732 Details:** hxxps://cwe[.]mitre[.]org/data/definitions/732[.]html