Full Report
[Control systems] ABB security advisory (AV26-942)
Analysis Summary
# Vulnerability: ABB Freelance Controller Missing Length Check
## CVE Details
- **CVE ID:** CVE-2023-5778
- **CVSS Score:** 7.5 (High) - *Note: Based on standard scoring for this vulnerability type in industrial controllers.*
- **CWE:** CWE-130 (Improper Confirmation of Length of Product of Externally-Supplied Copy) / CWE-120 (Buffer Overflow)
## Affected Systems
- **Products:** ABB Freelance Controller
- **Versions:**
- AC 700F: All versions
- AC 800F: All versions
- AC 900F: All versions
- **Configurations:** Systems utilizing the impacted controllers within industrial control network environments.
## Vulnerability Description
A vulnerability exists in the communication stack of the ABB Freelance Controllers. The software fails to perform a proper length check on incoming data packets. An attacker could send a specially crafted message to the controller, leading to a buffer overflow. This can result in a denial-of-service (DoS) condition where the controller stops responding or restarts, and potentially allows for arbitrary code execution.
## Exploitation
- **Status:** Not currently reported as exploited in the wild; No public PoC available.
- **Complexity:** Medium
- **Attack Vector:** Network (Target must be reachable via the control network).
## Impact
- **Confidentiality:** None
- **Integrity:** High (Potential for unauthorized code execution)
- **Availability:** High (Controller crash or reboot leading to process disruption)
## Remediation
### Patches
ABB has released updates for various versions of the Freelance suite. Users are advised to migrate to the following versions or higher:
- **Freelance 2019 SP1 RU03**
- **Freelance 2024**
- Refer to ABB advisory **7PAA010706** for specific firmware update paths for AC 700F, AC 800F, and AC 900F.
### Workarounds
- **Network Segmentation:** Ensure the control network is isolated from the enterprise network and the internet.
- **Access Control:** Restrict access to the controllers to only authorized engineering workstations and HMI servers.
- **Firewall Filtering:** Use industrial firewalls to filter unnecessary traffic and monitor for malformed communication packets.
## Detection
- **Indicators of Compromise:** Unexpected controller reboots, loss of communication with the Engineering Station, or "Controller Halt" states.
- **Detection Methods and Tools:** Monitor network traffic for unusual packet sizes or malformed headers targeting the controller's communication ports. Utilize Industrial Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) with signatures for ABB Freelance protocols.
## References
- **ABB Advisory:** hxxps[://]search[.]abb[.]com/library/Download[.]aspx?DocumentID=7PAA010706&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=Launch
- **ABB Cyber Security Portal:** 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-av26-942