CVE-2020-10922
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to cause denial-of-service on C-MORE HMI EA9 touch screen panels by sending specially crafted requests to the EA-HTTP.exe process. The lack of input validation enables attackers to crash the system, affecting industrial control systems using version 6.52 firmware.
💻 Affected Systems
- C-MORE HMI EA9 Touch Screen Panels
📦 What is this software?
C More Hmi Ea9 Firmware by Automationdirect
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system crash requiring physical reset, disrupting industrial processes and potentially causing safety issues in critical infrastructure.
Likely Case
Service disruption requiring manual reboot of affected HMI panels, causing temporary operational downtime.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and monitoring detecting exploitation attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
ZDI-CAN-10527 indicates coordinated disclosure. The lack of authentication and simple input validation flaw makes exploitation straightforward.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Later than 6.52 (check vendor for specific version)
Vendor Advisory: https://www.automationdirect.com/support/security-advisories
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check current firmware version. 2. Download updated firmware from AutomationDirect support portal. 3. Follow vendor's firmware update procedure for EA9 panels. 4. Verify successful update and restart system.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate HMI panels in separate network segments with strict firewall rules limiting access to necessary services only.
Access Control Lists
allImplement network ACLs to restrict access to EA9 panels only from authorized management stations.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate EA9 panels from untrusted networks
- Deploy network monitoring and intrusion detection specifically for EA-HTTP.exe traffic patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check firmware version on EA9 panel through system settings or web interface. If version is 6.52, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check through HMI panel system menu: Settings > System Information > Firmware VersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version is updated beyond 6.52 and test EA-HTTP.exe service functionality.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- EA-HTTP.exe crash logs
- System reboot events without clear cause
- Unusual traffic patterns to EA9 panels
Network Indicators:
- Multiple malformed HTTP requests to EA9 panel ports
- Traffic spikes to EA-HTTP.exe service
SIEM Query:
source="EA9-panel" AND (process="EA-HTTP.exe" AND event="crash") OR (destination_port IN (80,443) AND http_request contains malformed_pattern)