Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. Compass and AcSELerator Architect

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• CVSS v3 8.2

• ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/Low skill level to exploit/Public exploits are available for these vulnerabilities

• **Vendor:**Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL)

• **Equipment:**Compass and AcSELerator Architect

• **Vulnerabilities:**Incorrect Default Permissions, XXE, Resource Exhaustion

2. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow modification/replacement of files within the Compass installation directory, disclosure of information, or denial of service.

3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following products from SEL are affected. Not all products are affected by all vulnerabilities.

• Compass Version 3.0.5.1 and prior, and
• AcSELerator Architect Version 2.2.24.0 and prior.

3.2 VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

3.2.1 INCORRECT DEFAULT PERMISSIONS CWE-276

Incorrect default permissions allows all users full access to the SEL Compass directory, which may allow modification or overwriting of files within the Compass installation folder, resulting in escalation of privilege and/or malicious code execution.

CVE-2018-10604 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 8.2 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

3.2.2 IMPROPER RESTRICTION OF XML EXTERNAL ENTITY REFERENCE (‘XXE’) CWE-611

An XXE vulnerability allows unsanitized input to be passed to the AcSELerator Architect XML parser, which may allow disclosure and retrieval of arbitrary data, arbitrary code execution (in certain situations on specific platforms), and denial of service attacks.

CVE-2018-10600 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 8.2 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:L).

3.2.3 UNCONTROLLED RESOURCE CONSUMPTION (‘RESOURCE EXHAUSTION’) CWE-400

A resource exhaustion vulnerability can be exploited when the AcSELerator Architect FTP client connects to a malicious FTP server, which may cause denial of service via 100% CPU utilization. Restart of the application is required.

CVE-2018-10608 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 6.5 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

3.3 BACKGROUND

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

3.4 RESEARCHER

Gjoko Krstic of Applied Risk reported this vulnerability to NCCIC.

4. MITIGATIONS

SEL recommends affected users upgrade to latest release:

SEL Compass v3.0.6.1 or later

<https://selinc.com/products/compass/#tab-downloads&gt;

SEL AcSELerator v2.2.29.0 or later

<https://selinc.com/products/5032/#tab-downloads&gt;

Contact SEL Support for specific instructions and downloads:

<https://selinc.com/support/?categories.Customer Service&gt;

NCCIC 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 that 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 that VPNs may have vulnerabilities and should be updated to the most current version available. Also recognize that VPN is only as secure as the connected devices.

NCCIC reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.

NCCIC also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS-CERT web page. 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-CERT website 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 NCCIC for tracking and correlation against other incidents.