CVE-2020-25191
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-25191 is an incorrect default permissions vulnerability in NI CompactRIO driver API that allows unauthenticated remote attackers to trigger a reboot function. This affects CompactRIO systems running driver versions prior to 20.5, potentially causing denial of service in industrial control environments.
💻 Affected Systems
- NI CompactRIO
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Uninterrupted denial-of-service attacks causing repeated reboots, disrupting critical industrial processes and potentially damaging equipment through improper shutdowns.
Likely Case
Temporary service disruption through remote reboot, causing downtime in industrial operations until manual intervention.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and authentication controls preventing unauthorized access to the vulnerable API.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple HTTP request to vulnerable API endpoint can trigger reboot without authentication.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Driver version 20.5 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.ni.com/en/support/documentation/supplemental/21/compactrio-driver-security-update.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download NI CompactRIO driver version 20.5 or later from NI website. 2. Stop all CompactRIO services. 3. Install updated driver. 4. Reboot the CompactRIO system. 5. Verify version with 'ni-crio-version' command.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate CompactRIO systems from untrusted networks using firewalls or VLANs.
Access Control Lists
linuxRestrict network access to CompactRIO API endpoints to authorized IP addresses only.
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport [API_PORT] -s [TRUSTED_IP] -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport [API_PORT] -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate CompactRIO systems from all untrusted networks
- Deploy network monitoring and intrusion detection for unauthorized reboot attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check driver version with command: 'ni-crio-version' and verify if version is below 20.5Check Version:
ni-crio-versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm driver version is 20.5 or higher using 'ni-crio-version' command📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected system reboot events
- Unauthorized API access attempts to reboot endpoint
- Multiple reboot events in short timeframes
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to CompactRIO API reboot endpoint from unauthorized sources
- Unusual traffic patterns to industrial control system ports
SIEM Query:
source="compactrio" AND (event="reboot" OR api_access="unauthorized")