CVE-2018-19282 – CVE-2018-19282 is a critical vulnerability in R... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2018-19282?

CVE-2018-19282 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). CVE-2018-19282 is a critical vulnerability in Rockwell Automation PowerFlex 525 AC Drives that allows remote attackers to crash the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) network stack via a denial-of-service attack. This prevents new connections while keeping existing connections active, potentially blocking legitimate users from regaining control of industrial equipment. Organizations using PowerFlex 525 drives in industrial control systems are affected.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2018-19282 is a critical vulnerability in Rockwell Automation PowerFlex 525 AC Drives that allows remote attackers to crash the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) network stack via a denial-of-service attack. This prevents new connections while keeping existing connections active, potentially blocking legitimate users from regaining control of industrial equipment. Organizations using PowerFlex 525 drives in industrial control systems are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Rockwell Automation PowerFlex 525 AC Drives

Versions: 5.001 and earlier

Operating Systems: Embedded firmware

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) network stack implementation. Drives must be network-connected to be vulnerable.

📦 What is this software?

Powerflex 525 Ac Drives Firmware by Rockwellautomation

View all CVEs affecting Powerflex 525 Ac Drives Firmware →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete loss of control over industrial processes, inability to restart or reconfigure drives, potential safety incidents in critical infrastructure, and extended downtime requiring physical intervention.

🟠

Likely Case

Denial of service preventing new connections to drives, operational disruption requiring manual reset or physical access to recover, and production line stoppages.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper network segmentation and monitoring, allowing quick detection and isolation of affected devices.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - If drives are directly exposed to the internet, they can be easily targeted by automated attacks causing widespread disruption.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Even internally, attackers with network access can exploit this vulnerability to disrupt industrial operations.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

The vulnerability is well-documented in public advisories with technical details. Exploitation requires sending specially crafted CIP packets to the target device.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Firmware version 5.002 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1070221

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download firmware version 5.002 or later from Rockwell Automation website. 2. Connect to drive via programming software. 3. Backup current configuration. 4. Flash new firmware. 5. Restore configuration. 6. Verify firmware version.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network Segmentation

all

Isolate PowerFlex 525 drives in separate network segments with strict firewall rules to limit access to only authorized systems.

CIP Traffic Filtering

all

Configure network devices to filter or rate-limit CIP traffic to PowerFlex 525 drives, blocking malformed packets.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict network segmentation and access controls to limit which systems can communicate with PowerFlex 525 drives
Deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for CIP protocol anomalies and denial-of-service attempts

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check firmware version via drive display or programming software. If version is 5.001 or earlier, the device is vulnerable.

Check Version:

Use Rockwell Automation programming software (Studio 5000, Connected Components Workbench) to read drive firmware version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify firmware version is 5.002 or later after patching. Test network connectivity and CIP functionality.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Multiple failed CIP connection attempts
Drive communication errors in SCADA/PLC logs
Network traffic spikes to drive IP addresses

Network Indicators:

Unusual CIP packet patterns to port 44818
Malformed CIP packets
Traffic from unexpected sources to drive controllers

SIEM Query:

source_ip=* AND dest_port=44818 AND (protocol="CIP" OR packet_size_anomaly=true) AND event_count>threshold

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2018-19282

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-400

Published: April 4, 2019

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://applied-risk.com/application/files/4215/5385/2294/Advisory_AR2019004_Rockwell_Powerflex_525_Denial_of_Service.pdf Third Party Advisory
https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-19-087-01 Third Party Advisory,US Government Resource
https://applied-risk.com/application/files/4215/5385/2294/Advisory_AR2019004_Rockwell_Powerflex_525_Denial_of_Service.pdf Third Party Advisory
https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-19-087-01 Third Party Advisory,US Government Resource

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