CVE-2021-22713 – This vulnerability is a memory buffer overflow ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-22713?

CVE-2021-22713 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). This vulnerability is a memory buffer overflow in Schneider Electric PowerLogic ION series power meters that could allow an attacker to cause denial of service by rebooting the device. It affects multiple ION meter models running vulnerable firmware versions. Organizations using these industrial power monitoring devices are at risk.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability is a memory buffer overflow in Schneider Electric PowerLogic ION series power meters that could allow an attacker to cause denial of service by rebooting the device. It affects multiple ION meter models running vulnerable firmware versions. Organizations using these industrial power monitoring devices are at risk.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

PowerLogic ION8650
ION8800
ION7650
ION7700/73xx
ION83xx/84xx/85xx/8600

Versions: Specific versions listed in SEVD-2021-068-03 advisory

Operating Systems: Embedded firmware

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All affected models running vulnerable firmware versions are susceptible. Check vendor advisory for exact version details.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Persistent denial of service through repeated reboots, potentially disrupting power monitoring and control systems in critical infrastructure environments.

🟠

Likely Case

Temporary disruption of power monitoring data collection and potential loss of historical data during reboot cycles.

🟢

If Mitigated

Isolated incident with minimal operational impact if meters are properly segmented and monitored.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - While these devices are typically not directly internet-facing, exposed management interfaces could be targeted.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - These devices are commonly deployed in industrial networks where they could be targeted via internal compromise.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

The vulnerability requires network access to the meter's communication interfaces but does not require authentication.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Firmware versions specified in SEVD-2021-068-03

Vendor Advisory: https://www.se.com/ww/en/download/document/SEVD-2021-068-03

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download updated firmware from Schneider Electric portal. 2. Backup current configuration. 3. Apply firmware update via appropriate interface (Ethernet, serial). 4. Verify successful update and restore configuration if needed.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network segmentation

all

Isolate ION meters on dedicated VLANs with strict firewall rules limiting access to authorized management systems only.

Access control restrictions

all

Implement strict network access controls to prevent unauthorized systems from communicating with ION meter interfaces.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict network segmentation to isolate ION meters from general network traffic
Deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for anomalous traffic patterns to ION meter interfaces

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check firmware version via meter's web interface or communication protocol and compare against vulnerable versions in SEVD-2021-068-03.

Check Version:

Use ION Setup software or web interface to query device firmware version.

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm firmware version matches patched versions listed in vendor advisory and test meter functionality.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected meter reboots
Communication timeouts with meters
Failed authentication attempts to meter interfaces

Network Indicators:

Unusual traffic patterns to meter IP addresses
Protocol anomalies in ION communication

SIEM Query:

source="network_firewall" dest_ip="meter_subnet" AND (protocol_anomaly OR connection_attempts > threshold)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-22713

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-119

Published: March 11, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://www.se.com/ww/en/download/document/SEVD-2021-068-03 Vendor Advisory
https://www.se.com/ww/en/download/document/SEVD-2021-068-03 Vendor Advisory

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