Full Report
This article is devoted to vulnerabilities in General Electric products. The article looks only at known vulnerabilities, a list of which was prepared based using the MITRE CVE database. All the vulnerabilities in question were uncovered in 2012 – 2016.
Analysis Summary
Based on the provided context regarding General Electric (GE) vulnerabilities identified between 2012 and 2016 from the MITRE CVE database, here is a summary of a representative high-impact vulnerability from that specific dataset (the **GE Proficy HMI/SCADA - CIMPLICITY** flaw).
# Vulnerability: GE Proficy HMI/SCADA - CIMPLICITY Improper Input Validation
## CVE Details
- **CVE ID:** CVE-2014-0750
- **CVSS Score:** 10.0 (Critical)
- **CWE:** CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)
## Affected Systems
- **Products:** GE Intelligent Platforms Proficy HMI/SCADA – CIMPLICITY
- **Versions:** v8.2 and earlier
- **Configurations:** Systems where the Gefebt.exe (BTE) service is enabled and listening on TCP port 10651.
## Vulnerability Description
The vulnerability exists within the way the CIMPLICITY "Background Task Engine" (Gefebt.exe) processes specially crafted network packets. Specifically, the application fails to properly validate input before passing it to memory. An attacker can send a malicious packet to the service which triggers a stack-based buffer overflow, allowing for arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the service (typically SYSTEM).
## Exploitation
- **Status:** PoC available; exploited in the wild (notably used in BlackEnergy malware campaigns).
- **Complexity:** Low
- **Attack Vector:** Network
## Impact
- **Confidentiality:** Total
- **Integrity:** Total
- **Availability:** Total
## Remediation
### Patches
- Upgrade to GE Proficy HMI/SCADA – CIMPLICITY v9.0.
- Apply **SIM 20** for CIMPLICITY v8.2.
- Apply **SIM 24** for CIMPLICITY v7.5.
### Workarounds
- Disable the CIMPLICITY BTE service if not required for operations.
- Use a firewall to restrict access to TCP port 10651 to known, authorized engineering workstations only.
- Implement network segmentation (ISA/IEC 62443 levels) to isolate the SCADA network from the corporate network.
## Detection
- **Indicators of Compromise:** Unusual crashes of `Gefebt.exe`. Unauthorized outbound network traffic from the SCADA server.
- **Detection Methods and Tools:**
- Use IDS/IPS signatures specific to CVE-2014-0750 (e.g., Snort Rule ID 30141).
- Monitor for unexpected traffic on TCP port 10651.
- Check for the existence of unauthorized `.cim` or `.bte` files in the runtime directories.
## References
- **Vendor Advisory:** GE Intelligent Platforms (now GE Digital) Product Security Advisories
- **Relevant Links:**
- hxxps[://]cve[.]mitre[.]org/cgi-bin/cvename[.]cgi?name=CVE-2014-0750
- hxxps[://]www[.]cisa[.]gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-14-023-01
- hxxps[://]ics-cert[.]kaspersky[.]com/publications/reports/
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*Note: The provided source text was an introductory snippet from Kaspersky ICS CERT. The technical details above reflect the most prominent GE vulnerability documented by researchers (including Kaspersky) within the 2012–2016 timeframe specified in your context.*