CVE-2024-21916
📋 TL;DR
A denial-of-service vulnerability in Rockwell Automation ControlLogix and GuardLogix controllers allows attackers to cause a major nonrecoverable fault (MNRF) that forces the device to restart. This affects industrial control systems using these specific controllers. The vulnerability could disrupt critical manufacturing or infrastructure operations.
💻 Affected Systems
- Rockwell Automation ControlLogix 5580 Controllers
- Rockwell Automation GuardLogix 5580 Controllers
📦 What is this software?
Controllogix 5570 Controller Firmware by Rockwellautomation
View all CVEs affecting Controllogix 5570 Controller Firmware →
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Critical industrial processes are halted, causing production downtime, safety system failures, or infrastructure disruption until controllers restart and systems recover.
Likely Case
Temporary disruption of industrial operations as controllers restart automatically, causing production delays and potential equipment damage.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper network segmentation and monitoring allowing quick detection and recovery.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires network access to controller; no public exploit code available at time of analysis.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: See Rockwell advisory SD1661 for specific patched firmware versions
Vendor Advisory: https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/support/advisory.SD1661.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review Rockwell advisory SD1661. 2. Identify affected controller firmware versions. 3. Download and install patched firmware from Rockwell support portal. 4. Restart controllers after update. 5. Validate functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate controllers from untrusted networks using firewalls and VLANs
Access Control Lists
allImplement strict network ACLs to limit communication to authorized systems only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate controllers from potential attackers
- Deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check controller firmware version against affected versions in Rockwell advisory SD1661Check Version:
Use Rockwell Studio 5000 Logix Designer to check controller firmware versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version matches patched versions listed in advisory and test controller functionality📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Controller major nonrecoverable fault (MNRF) events
- Unexpected controller restarts
- Network traffic spikes to controller ports
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic patterns to controller IP addresses
- Connection attempts from unauthorized sources
SIEM Query:
source="controller_logs" AND (event="MNRF" OR event="unexpected_restart")