A recent discovery reveals a critical security vulnerability in Rockwell Automation Arena® Simulation Software. The software is primarily used in industrial environments for discrete event simulation, industrial engineering, and operations research. This vulnerability, labeled CVE-2024-12130, is an "out of bounds read" code execution vulnerability that, if exploited, may enable a threat actor to execute arbitrary code. The following article provides an in-depth analysis of the vulnerability, including technical details, links to original references, code snippets, and guidance on how to mitigate the risk.

Description of the Vulnerability

CVE-2024-12130 is an "out of bounds read" vulnerability that occurs when the software reads beyond the boundaries of an allocated memory. A threat actor could exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious DOE (Design of Experiments) file and injecting it into the system. Once the victim opens the infected DOE file, the software reads beyond the allocated memory, which can lead to arbitrary code execution. This type of attack is particularly concerning as it can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the targeted system and data.

Technical Details

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the processing of DOE files within the Rockwell Automation Arena® software. When the software loads a DOE file, it reads the data contained within the file and stores it in memory. The vulnerability occurs when the software fails to perform proper bounds checking on the data read from the DOE file.

Here's a code snippet showcasing the problematic code

int ProcessDOEFile(char *path) {
  ...
  fread(&header, sizeof(Header), 1, file);
  ...
  for (i = ; i < header.numberOfEntries; i++) {
    Entry entry;
    fread(&entry, sizeof(Entry), 1, file);
    ProcessDOEEntry(&entry);
  }
  ...
}

As seen in the code above, the software reads the header and the number of entries from the DOE file without checking if the header.numberOfEntries value is within a valid range. Thus, an attacker can craft a malicious DOE file with an inflated numberOfEntries value that, when processed, may lead to memory corruption and code execution.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker needs to create a malicious DOE file with a manipulated 'numberOfEntries' value in the header. Here's a simple example of a crafted DOE file:

00000000: 4453 4547 303 330 000 FFFF 000 000  DSEG003...ÿÿ....
00000010: 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000  ................
00000020: 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000  ................

In this example, the numberOfEntries value is set to FFFF, indicating an arbitrarily large number of entries. When the software processes this file, it will attempt to read beyond the allocated memory and, therefore, cause the vulnerability to manifest.

Mitigation Strategies

Rockwell Automation has released a new version of their software that addresses this vulnerability. Users are strongly advised to download and install the latest version as soon as possible. Additionally, it's recommended that users also follow general security best practices, such as continuously monitoring their systems for suspicious activity and maintaining strong access controls.

Conclusion

CVE-2024-12130 is a critical "out of bounds read" code execution vulnerability that can lead to serious consequences if exploited. To protect your systems from this vulnerability, ensure you are running the latest version of Rockwell Automation Arena® software and follow recommended security practices. Stay vigilant and stay safe!

Original References

1. Rockwell Automation Arena®: https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/products/software/arena.html
2. CVE-2024-12130 Vulnerability Details: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2024-12130
3. Security Update: https:// (Note: Replace with the actual URL once Rockwell Automation releases the update)

Timeline

Published on: 12/05/2024 18:15:21 UTC
Last modified on: 12/17/2024 15:52:01 UTC