CVE-2023-46281
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an overly permissive CORS policy vulnerability in Siemens industrial software products. An attacker could exploit this by tricking legitimate users into visiting malicious websites, which could then trigger unwanted actions in the affected Siemens applications. The vulnerability affects multiple Siemens industrial automation and manufacturing software products.
💻 Affected Systems
- Opcenter Execution Foundation
- Opcenter Quality
- SIMATIC PCS neo
- SINEC NMS
- Totally Integrated Automation Portal (TIA Portal)
📦 What is this software?
Sinumerik Integrate Runmyhmi \/automotive by Siemens
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Totally Integrated Automation Portal by Siemens
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Totally Integrated Automation Portal by Siemens
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Totally Integrated Automation Portal by Siemens
View all CVEs affecting Totally Integrated Automation Portal →
Totally Integrated Automation Portal by Siemens
View all CVEs affecting Totally Integrated Automation Portal →
Totally Integrated Automation Portal by Siemens
View all CVEs affecting Totally Integrated Automation Portal →
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could perform cross-site request forgery attacks to execute unauthorized actions in Siemens industrial control systems, potentially leading to operational disruption or safety issues in industrial environments.
Likely Case
Attackers could perform CSRF attacks to modify configurations, access sensitive data, or perform unauthorized operations within the affected Siemens applications.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and user awareness training, the risk is reduced to unauthorized configuration changes within isolated industrial networks.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires social engineering to trick authenticated users into visiting malicious websites. No authentication bypass is required once user is logged into Siemens applications.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Opcenter Execution Foundation V2407, Opcenter Quality V2312, SIMATIC PCS neo V4.1, SINEC NMS V2.0 SP1, TIA Portal V17 Update 8, TIA Portal V18 Update 3
Vendor Advisory: https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-999588.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download appropriate updates from Siemens Industrial Security website. 2. Apply updates according to Siemens documentation. 3. Restart affected systems. 4. Verify UMC Web-UI functionality post-update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate Siemens industrial systems from general corporate networks and internet access
Browser Security Controls
allImplement strict browser security policies and disable cross-origin requests for Siemens applications
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate Siemens systems from untrusted networks
- Deploy web application firewalls with CORS policy enforcement and CSRF protection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check product versions against affected versions list. For TIA Portal, check Help > About for version information.Check Version:
For Windows systems: Check Siemens application version in Control Panel > Programs and Features or application Help > About menuVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version matches or exceeds patched versions listed in Siemens advisory. Test UMC Web-UI functionality.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual cross-origin requests to Siemens UMC endpoints
- Multiple failed authentication attempts followed by successful CSRF-like requests
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected cross-origin HTTP requests to Siemens application ports
- Traffic patterns suggesting CSRF exploitation
SIEM Query:
source_ip IN (external_ips) AND dest_port IN (siemens_app_ports) AND http_header CONTAINS 'Origin: malicious-domain.com'