CVE-2023-48010
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows supervisor-level code on STMicroelectronics SPC58 PowerPC microcontrollers to disable the System Memory Protection Unit, granting unrestricted read/write access to protected memory regions. This affects automotive systems and embedded devices using these specific microcontrollers. Attackers with supervisor privileges can bypass memory isolation protections.
💻 Affected Systems
- STMicroelectronics SPC58 PowerPC microcontrollers
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the microcontroller, allowing attackers to read sensitive data (encryption keys, firmware), modify critical code, disable safety features, or install persistent malware in automotive systems.
Likely Case
Privilege escalation within the microcontroller, allowing unauthorized access to protected memory regions that should be isolated from supervisor code.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper access controls and privilege separation are implemented, though the fundamental protection mechanism bypass remains possible.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires existing supervisor-level code execution on the microcontroller. No public exploit code has been disclosed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not specified
Vendor Advisory: Not publicly available
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Contact STMicroelectronics for firmware updates or hardware workarounds. 2. Apply any available microcontroller firmware patches. 3. Restart affected systems after patching.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Supervisor Access
allLimit which code can run with supervisor privileges and implement strict access controls
Configuration specific to embedded system implementation
Memory Access Monitoring
allImplement runtime monitoring of SMPU configuration changes
Embedded system specific monitoring implementation
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict privilege separation to minimize code running with supervisor privileges
- Deploy network segmentation and access controls to prevent unauthorized access to microcontroller interfaces
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check microcontroller model and firmware version against STMicroelectronics advisoriesCheck Version:
Embedded system specific command to check MCU firmware versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version has been updated and test SMPU protection functionality📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected SMPU configuration changes
- Unauthorized memory access attempts
- Supervisor privilege escalation events
Network Indicators:
- Unauthorized access to microcontroller debugging interfaces
- Suspicious CAN bus traffic in automotive systems
SIEM Query:
Embedded system logs showing SMPU disable events OR privilege escalation to supervisor mode🔗 References
- https://plaxidityx.com/blog/blog-post/is-your-memory-protecteduncovering-hidden-vulnerabilities-in-automotive-mpu-mechanisms/
- https://www.st.com/resource/en/reference_manual/rm0452-spc58-h-line--32-bit-power-architecture-automotive-mcu-triple-z4-cores-200-mhz-10-mbytes-flash-hsm-asild-stmicroelectronics.pdf
