CVE-2022-32142
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2022-32142 is an out-of-bounds read/write vulnerability in multiple CODESYS products that allows low-privileged remote attackers to cause denial-of-service or potentially modify local files without user interaction. This affects industrial control systems using vulnerable CODESYS software versions.
💻 Affected Systems
- CODESYS Control runtime systems
- CODESYS Development System
- CODESYS Gateway
📦 What is this software?
Plcwinnt by Codesys
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote attacker gains ability to overwrite local files, potentially leading to system compromise, data manipulation, or persistent backdoor installation in industrial control environments.
Likely Case
Denial-of-service conditions disrupting industrial operations, with potential for limited file modification in specific configurations.
If Mitigated
Isolated network segments and proper access controls limit impact to availability issues within affected control systems.
🎯 Exploit Status
Remote exploitation requires network access but no authentication. The vulnerability is in protocol handling, making exploitation relatively straightforward for attackers with network access.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Varies by product - see CODESYS Security Advisory for specific version mappings
Vendor Advisory: https://customers.codesys.com/index.php?eID=dumpFile&t=f&f=17139&token=ec67d15a433b61c77154166c20c78036540cacb0&download=
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review CODESYS Security Advisory for affected products. 2. Download appropriate patches from CODESYS customer portal. 3. Apply patches following vendor instructions. 4. Restart affected systems. 5. Verify patch installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate CODESYS systems from untrusted networks using firewalls and VLANs
Access Control Lists
allRestrict network access to CODESYS services to authorized IP addresses only
# Example firewall rule (Linux iptables): iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 1217 -s trusted_ip_range -j ACCEPT
# Windows Firewall: New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "CODESYS Restrict" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 1217 -RemoteAddress trusted_ip_range -Action Allow
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate CODESYS systems from untrusted networks
- Deploy intrusion detection systems monitoring for anomalous CODESYS protocol traffic
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check CODESYS version against affected versions in vendor advisory. For runtime systems: Check version in CODESYS Control System Manager or via CODESYS CLI tools.Check Version:
# CODESYS Control CLI: codesyscontrol --version
# Or check via CODESYS Development System: Project -> Device -> Online -> Device InfoVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version matches patched versions listed in CODESYS Security Advisory. Check that patch installation was successful in system logs.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected CODESYS service restarts
- Memory access violation errors in CODESYS logs
- Anomalous network connections to CODESYS ports (typically 1217, 1218)
Network Indicators:
- Malformed CODESYS protocol packets
- Unexpected traffic to CODESYS ports from unauthorized sources
- Protocol anomalies in CODESYS CMP communication
SIEM Query:
source="*codesys*" AND (event_type="crash" OR event_type="memory_violation" OR event_type="service_restart")