Meteocontrol WEB'log Vulnerabilities (Update A)

OVERVIEW

This updated advisory is a follow-up to the original advisory titled ICSA-16-133-01 Meteocontrol WEB'log Vulnerabilities that was published May 12, 2016, on the NCCIC/ICS‑CERT web site.

Independent researcher Karn Ganeshen has identified one authentication and two information exposure vulnerabilities in Meteocontrol’s WEB’log application. Meteocontrol has produced a new version to mitigate these vulnerabilities.

These vulnerabilities could be exploited remotely.

AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following WEB’log products are affected:

• Basic 100 all versions,
• Light all versions,
• Pro all versions, and
• Pro Unlimited all versions.

IMPACT

Sensitive information can be accessed, and admin login pages are accessible without being authenticated.

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Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities can allow silent execution of unauthorized actions on the device such as modifying plant data; modifying modbus/inverter/other devices; configuration parameters; and saving modified configuration and device reboot.

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Impact to individual organizations depends on many factors that are unique to each organization. ICS-CERT recommends that organizations evaluate the impact of these vulnerabilities based on their operational environment, architecture, and product implementation.

BACKGROUND

Meteocontrol is a Germany-based company that maintains offices in several countries around the world, including the US, China, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Israel.

The affected products, WEB’log, are web-based SCADA systems that provide functions to manage energy and power configurations in different connected (energy/industrial) devices. According to Meteocontrol, WEB’log is deployed across several sectors including Commercial Facilities, Critical Manufacturing, Energy, and Water and Wastewater Systems. Meteocontrol estimates that these products are used primarily in Europe with a small percentage in the United States.

VULNERABILITY CHARACTERIZATION

VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

VULNERABILITY DETAILS

EXPLOITABILITY

These vulnerabilities could be exploited remotely.

EXISTENCE OF EXPLOIT

No known public exploits specifically target these vulnerabilities.

DIFFICULTY

An attacker with a low skill would be able to exploit these vulnerabilities.

MITIGATION

Meteocontrol strongly recommends users install the WEB'log behind a firewall. It is not intended to be used with a direct connection to the Internet. Meteocontrol has produced a new version that fixes the vulnerabilities. It can be downloaded at:

http://us.meteocontrol.com/downloads/.

ICS-CERT recommends that users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities. 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.

ICS-CERT reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.

ICS-CERT also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS-CERT web page at: http://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/content/recommended-practices. 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 in the ICS‑CERT Technical Information Paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B--Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies, that is available for download from the ICS-CERT web site (http://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/).

Organizations observing any suspected malicious activity should follow their established internal procedures and report their findings to ICS-CERT for tracking and correlation against other incidents.