CVSS3
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Attack Complexity
LOW
Privileges Required
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact
HIGH
Integrity Impact
HIGH
Availability Impact
HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS
Percentile
57.3%
Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow unauthorized visibility to sensitive information and remote code execution.
The following firmware versions of SAUTER Controls Nova, a series of programmable logic controllers (PLCs), are affected:
3.2.1 MISSING AUTHENTICATION FOR CRITICAL FUNCTION CWE-306
SAUTER Controls Nova 200–220 Series with firmware version 3.3-006 and prior and BACnetstac version 4.2.1 and prior allows the execution of commands without credentials. As Telnet and file transfer protocol (FTP) are the only protocols available for device management, an unauthorized user could access the system and modify the device configuration, which could result in the unauthorized user executing unrestricted malicious commands.
CVE-2023-0052 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
3.2.2 CLEARTEXT TRANSMISSION OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION CWE-319
SAUTER Controls Nova 200–220 Series with firmware version 3.3-006 and prior and BACnetstac version 4.2.1 and prior have only FTP and Telnet available for device management. Any sensitive information communicated through these protocols, such as credentials, is sent in cleartext. An attacker could obtain sensitive information such as user credentials to gain access to the system.
CVE-2023-0053 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 7.5 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).
Jairo Alonso Ortiz, Aarón Flecha Menéndez and Iñaki Lázaro Ayanz of S21Sec reported these vulnerabilities to CISA.
SAUTER Controls has stated that this product line is no longer supported, as it was discontinued in 2016. SAUTER Controls recommends users take all necessary measures to protect the integrity of building automation network access, using all appropriate means and policies to minimize risks. Sauter Controls recommends users evaluate and upgrade legacy systems to current solutions where necessary.
Affected users should contact SAUTER Controls for instructions on upgrading legacy systems.
CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of this vulnerability these vulnerabilities. Specifically, users should:
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 at cisa.gov/ics. Several CISA products detailing cyber defense best 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 at cisa.gov/ics in the technical information paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B–Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies.
Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents.
No known public exploits specifically target these vulnerabilities.
web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2023-0052
web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2023-0053
cisa.gov/ics
cisa.gov/ics
cisasurvey.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9n4TtB8uttUPaM6?product=https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-23-012-05
cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/306.html
cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/319.html
public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCISA/subscriber/new?topic_id=USDHSCISA_138
twitter.com/CISAgov
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us-cert.cisa.gov/ics/Recommended-Practices
us-cert.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/recommended_practices/NCCIC_ICS-CERT_Defense_in_Depth_2016_S508C.pdf
www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/alerts/ICS-ALERT-10-301-01
www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/tips/ICS-TIP-12-146-01B
www.dhs.gov
www.dhs.gov/foia
www.dhs.gov/performance-financial-reports
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www.first.org/cvss/calculator/3.0#CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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