CVE-2022-31204
📋 TL;DR
Omron PLCs transmit passwords in cleartext when setting or clearing UM Protection, allowing attackers to intercept credentials. This affects Omron CS, CJ, and CP series PLCs used in industrial control systems. Attackers can capture passwords to bypass protection mechanisms and perform unauthorized engineering operations.
💻 Affected Systems
- Omron CS series PLCs
- Omron CJ series PLCs
- Omron CP series PLCs
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers capture passwords, bypass protection, and upload malicious logic to PLCs, potentially causing physical damage, production disruption, or safety incidents in industrial environments.
Likely Case
Attackers intercept passwords during network transmission and gain unauthorized access to modify PLC logic or steal intellectual property from engineering projects.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and monitoring, impact is limited to potential credential exposure without ability to reach PLCs or execute unauthorized operations.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires network access to capture FINS protocol traffic. No authentication needed to intercept cleartext passwords.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: None available
Vendor Advisory: https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/advisories/icsa-22-179-02
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No firmware patch available. Apply workarounds and implement compensating controls.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate PLCs in separate network segments with strict access controls
VPN/Encrypted Tunnels
allUse encrypted communication channels for all PLC access
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit who can communicate with PLCs
- Monitor network traffic for FINS protocol commands and alert on suspicious activity
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if using Omron CS/CJ/CP series PLCs and if FINS protocol transmits Program Area Protect/Clear commands without encryptionCheck Version:
Check PLC firmware version through engineering software (CX-Programmer or similar)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify network traffic analysis shows no cleartext password transmission in FINS protocol📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed authentication attempts on PLCs
- Unauthorized engineering tool connections
Network Indicators:
- FINS protocol traffic containing Program Area Protect/Clear commands
- Cleartext password strings in network captures
SIEM Query:
Network traffic containing FINS protocol commands with password strings