CVE-2024-23816
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote attackers to gain full administrative access to Siemens Location Intelligence products by exploiting a hard-coded secret used in HMAC computation. All versions before V4.3 of multiple Location Intelligence product variants are affected, including Perpetual and SUS editions in Large, Medium, Small, and Non-Prod configurations.
💻 Affected Systems
- Location Intelligence Perpetual Large (9DE5110-8CA13-1AX0)
- Location Intelligence Perpetual Medium (9DE5110-8CA12-1AX0)
- Location Intelligence Perpetual Non-Prod (9DE5110-8CA10-1AX0)
- Location Intelligence Perpetual Small (9DE5110-8CA11-1AX0)
- Location Intelligence SUS Large (9DE5110-8CA13-1BX0)
- Location Intelligence SUS Medium (9DE5110-8CA12-1BX0)
- Location Intelligence SUS Non-Prod (9DE5110-8CA10-1BX0)
- Location Intelligence SUS Small (9DE5110-8CA11-1BX0)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the Location Intelligence system, allowing attackers to access, modify, or delete sensitive location data, disrupt operations, and potentially pivot to other systems.
Likely Case
Unauthenticated attackers gaining administrative privileges to manipulate location data, extract sensitive information, or disrupt service availability.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if systems are isolated behind strict network controls, though the authentication bypass remains possible for anyone with network access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires knowledge of the hard-coded secret, which may be reverse-engineered from the software. The CVSS 9.8 score indicates critical severity with low attack complexity.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: V4.3
Vendor Advisory: https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-580228.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download V4.3 update from Siemens support portal. 2. Backup current configuration and data. 3. Apply the update following Siemens installation guide. 4. Restart the Location Intelligence service or server. 5. Verify successful update and functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Isolation
allRestrict network access to Location Intelligence systems to only trusted IP addresses and networks.
Use firewall rules to block all external access except from authorized management networks
Access Control Lists
allImplement strict network segmentation and access controls to limit who can reach the vulnerable service.
Configure network ACLs to allow only necessary traffic from trusted sources
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected systems in a dedicated network segment with no internet access
- Implement strict monitoring and alerting for any administrative access attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the product version in the Location Intelligence administration interface or configuration files. If version is below V4.3, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check the product documentation for version query commands specific to your installationVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm the product version shows V4.3 or higher after applying the update and verify normal administrative functions work without using the hard-coded secret.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected administrative login events
- Authentication attempts using hard-coded credentials
- Configuration changes from unknown sources
Network Indicators:
- Unauthorized access attempts to administrative endpoints
- Traffic patterns suggesting authentication bypass
SIEM Query:
source="location_intelligence" AND (event_type="admin_login" OR auth_method="hardcoded")