CVE-2023-1424

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-1424?

CVE-2023-1424 has a CVSS score of 10.0 (CRITICAL). A critical buffer overflow vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-F and iQ-R Series CPU modules allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. Affected systems are industrial control systems using these specific PLC modules. Successful exploitation requires a system reset for recovery.

10.0 CRITICAL

📋 TL;DR

A critical buffer overflow vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-F and iQ-R Series CPU modules allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. Affected systems are industrial control systems using these specific PLC modules. Successful exploitation requires a system reset for recovery.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-F Series CPU modules
Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC iQ-R Series CPU modules

Versions: All versions prior to the patched firmware releases

Operating Systems: Embedded firmware on PLC hardware

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: These are industrial programmable logic controllers (PLCs) used in critical infrastructure and manufacturing environments.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, manipulation of industrial processes, physical damage, or prolonged downtime.

🟠

Likely Case

Denial of service causing PLC reboot and production interruption, requiring manual reset and potential process disruption.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if systems are air-gapped, behind firewalls with strict network segmentation, and have network traffic monitoring.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Remote unauthenticated exploitation via network packets makes internet-exposed systems extremely vulnerable.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Even internally, the unauthenticated nature and network accessibility create significant risk if attackers gain internal network access.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

The vulnerability description suggests straightforward exploitation via crafted packets, though no public exploit code is confirmed.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Check vendor advisory for specific firmware versions

Vendor Advisory: https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/en/psirt/vulnerability/pdf/2023-003_en.pdf

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download updated firmware from Mitsubishi Electric support portal. 2. Backup PLC program and configuration. 3. Apply firmware update following vendor instructions. 4. Restart PLC. 5. Restore program and verify operation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network segmentation and firewall rules

all

Restrict network access to PLCs using firewalls to only allow necessary traffic from authorized sources.

Disable unnecessary network services

all

Disable any unused network protocols and services on the PLC to reduce attack surface.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict network segmentation to isolate PLCs from untrusted networks
Deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for anomalous network traffic to PLCs

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check PLC firmware version against vendor advisory. If using unpatched firmware, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

Use Mitsubishi Electric engineering software (GX Works3) to read PLC firmware version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify firmware version has been updated to patched version specified in vendor advisory.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

PLC reboot events without operator intervention
Unusual network traffic patterns to PLC ports

Network Indicators:

Malformed packets sent to PLC network ports
Traffic from unauthorized sources to PLC

SIEM Query:

source_ip=* AND dest_ip=PLC_IP AND (port=TCP/102 OR port=UDP/102) AND packet_size>normal_threshold

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-1424

CVSS v3 Score: 10.0 (CRITICAL)

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

CWE: CWE-120

Published: May 24, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://jvn.jp/vu/JVNVU94650413 Third Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-23-143-03 Third Party Advisory,US Government Resource
https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/en/psirt/vulnerability/pdf/2023-003_en.pdf Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://jvn.jp/vu/JVNVU94650413 Third Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-23-143-03 Third Party Advisory,US Government Resource
https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/en/psirt/vulnerability/pdf/2023-003_en.pdf Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2023-1727

📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

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Melsec Iq Fx5u 80mr\/ess Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5u 80mt\/ds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5u 80mt\/dss Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5u 80mt\/es Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5u 80mt\/ess Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 32mr\/dds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 32mr\/ds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 32mr\/ds Ts Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 32mt\/dds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 32mt\/ds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 32mt\/ds Ts Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 32mt\/dss Ts Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 64mr\/dds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 64mr\/ds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 64mt\/dds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 64mt\/ds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 96mr\/dds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 96mr\/ds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 96mt\/dds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric

Melsec Iq Fx5uc 96mt\/ds Firmware by Mitsubishielectric