CVE-2021-37160 – CVE-2021-37160 is a critical firmware validatio... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-37160?

CVE-2021-37160 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). CVE-2021-37160 is a critical firmware validation bypass vulnerability in Swisslog Healthcare Nexus Panel HMI3 Control Panel. It allows attackers to upload malicious firmware without cryptographic signature validation, potentially gaining complete control of medical device control systems. This affects Swisslog Healthcare Nexus Panel systems running software versions before Nexus Software 7.2.5.7.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2021-37160 is a critical firmware validation bypass vulnerability in Swisslog Healthcare Nexus Panel HMI3 Control Panel. It allows attackers to upload malicious firmware without cryptographic signature validation, potentially gaining complete control of medical device control systems. This affects Swisslog Healthcare Nexus Panel systems running software versions before Nexus Software 7.2.5.7.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Swisslog Healthcare Nexus Panel HMI3 Control Panel

Versions: All versions before Nexus Software 7.2.5.7

Operating Systems: Embedded/Proprietary

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: This affects medical device control systems in healthcare environments, specifically pneumatic tube system control panels.

📦 What is this software?

Hmi 3 Control Panel Firmware by Swisslog Healthcare

View all CVEs affecting Hmi 3 Control Panel Firmware →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete compromise of medical device control systems allowing unauthorized firmware installation, potential disruption of hospital operations, manipulation of medical device functionality, and patient safety risks.

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized access to control systems, potential data exfiltration, and disruption of medical device operations in healthcare environments.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper network segmentation and access controls, though the vulnerability remains present in unpatched systems.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: CONFIRMED

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

The PwnedPiper research demonstrates weaponized exploitation chains. Attackers can upload malicious firmware without authentication.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Nexus Software 7.2.5.7 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://www.swisslog-healthcare.com/en-us/customer-care/security-information/cve-disclosures

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Contact Swisslog Healthcare for patch availability 2. Schedule maintenance window 3. Apply Nexus Software 7.2.5.7 update 4. Verify firmware validation is enabled 5. Restart affected systems

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network Segmentation

all

Isolate Nexus Panel systems from general network access and restrict to necessary communication only

Access Control Lists

all

Implement strict firewall rules to limit access to Nexus Panel management interfaces

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Segment affected systems on isolated VLANs with strict access controls
Monitor for unauthorized firmware upload attempts and network traffic to/from Nexus Panels

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Nexus Panel software version via device interface or management console. Versions before 7.2.5.7 are vulnerable.

Check Version:

Check via Nexus Panel web interface or contact Swisslog Healthcare for version verification tools

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify software version is 7.2.5.7 or later and attempt firmware upload validation test.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unauthorized firmware upload attempts
Unexpected firmware update events
Authentication bypass attempts

Network Indicators:

Unexpected connections to Nexus Panel management ports
Firmware upload traffic from unauthorized sources

SIEM Query:

source_ip=* AND dest_port=(management_port) AND protocol=HTTP AND uri_contains="firmware" OR "upload"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-37160

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

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

CWE: CWE-347

Published: August 2, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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