CVE-2018-25112
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2018-25112 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to cause denial-of-service on affected industrial control systems by flooding them with network traffic that overwhelms the IEC 61131 program. This affects Phoenix Contact ILC devices running vulnerable firmware versions. Industrial operators using these devices in automation environments are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- Phoenix Contact ILC series PLCs
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete device unavailability leading to production stoppage, safety system failures, or process disruption in industrial environments.
Likely Case
Temporary device unresponsiveness requiring manual reboot, causing production delays and potential equipment damage.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and traffic filtering in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple network flooding attack requiring no authentication or special tools. The advisory describes the attack mechanism clearly.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Firmware version 4.53 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://certvde.com/en/advisories/VDE-2018-012/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download firmware version 4.53 or later from Phoenix Contact support portal. 2. Backup current configuration and program. 3. Upload new firmware via programming software. 4. Restart device. 5. Verify firmware version and restore configuration.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate ILC devices in separate network segments with strict firewall rules.
Traffic Rate Limiting
allConfigure network equipment to limit traffic to ILC devices.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls allowing only authorized systems to communicate with ILC devices.
- Deploy network monitoring with alerting for unusual traffic patterns to ILC devices.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check firmware version via Phoenix Contact programming software or web interface. Versions below 4.53 are vulnerable.Check Version:
Use Phoenix Contact PC Worx or similar programming software to read device firmware version.Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm firmware version is 4.53 or higher after update and test device responsiveness under normal network conditions.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- High network traffic logs from ILC device
- Device restart events
- Communication timeouts in control system logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusually high volume of network packets to ILC device ports
- Traffic from unexpected sources to ILC device
SIEM Query:
source_ip:* AND dest_ip:ILC_IP AND bytes_sent > 1000000