CVE-2023-7206
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Horner Automation Cscape allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening malicious CSP files. It affects Cscape versions 9.90 SP10 and prior, primarily impacting industrial control system environments where this software is used for PLC programming.
💻 Affected Systems
- Horner Automation Cscape
📦 What is this software?
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
Cscape by Hornerautomation
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the Cscape workstation, potentially enabling lateral movement to industrial control systems.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or malware installation on the engineering workstation, disrupting industrial operations.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper file validation and user awareness controls prevent malicious file execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open malicious file but uses simple stack-based buffer overflow (CWE-121).
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after 9.90 SP10
Vendor Advisory: https://hornerautomation.com/cscape-software/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download latest Cscape version from Horner Automation website. 2. Uninstall current version. 3. Install updated version. 4. Restart system.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict CSP file handling
windowsConfigure Windows to open CSP files with alternative applications or require validation
User awareness training
allTrain users to only open CSP files from trusted sources
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution
- Use network segmentation to isolate Cscape workstations from critical control systems
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Cscape Help > About menu for version number. If version is 9.90 SP10 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Open Cscape, navigate to Help > About menuVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version is newer than 9.90 SP10 and test with known safe CSP files.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected process crashes of Cscape.exe
- Unusual file access patterns to CSP files
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Cscape workstation
SIEM Query:
Process: Cscape.exe AND (EventID: 1000 OR EventID: 1001) OR FileAccess: *.csp FROM untrusted sources