CISA Advisory: Schneider Electric PowerLogic PM5300 Series

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• CVSS v4 8.7
• ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low attack complexity
• Vendor: Schneider Electric
• Equipment: PowerLogic PM5300 Series
• Vulnerability: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption

2. RISK EVALUATION

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could cause the device to become unresponsive resulting in communication loss.

3. TECHNICAL DETAILS

3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS

Schneider Electric reports that the following PowerLogic energy meters are affected:

• PowerLogic PM5320: Versions 2.3.8 and prior
• PowerLogic PM5340: Versions 2.3.8 and prior
• PowerLogic PM5341: Versions 2.6.6 and prior

3.2 Vulnerability Overview

3.2.1 UNCONTROLLED RESOURCE CONSUMPTION CWE-400

An uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability exists that could cause Schneider Electric PowerLogic PM5300 Series devices to become unresponsive resulting in communication loss when a large amount of IGMP packets is present in the network.

CVE-2024-9409 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 7.5 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2024-9409. A base score of 8.7 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N).

3.3 BACKGROUND

• CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS: Commercial Facilities, Critical Manufacturing, Energy
• COUNTRIES/AREAS DEPLOYED: Worldwide
• COMPANY HEADQUARTERS LOCATION: France

3.4 RESEARCHER

Schneider Electric reported this vulnerability to CISA.

4. MITIGATIONS

Schneider Electric has identified the following remediations users can apply to reduce risk:

If users choose not to apply the remediation provided above, Schneider Electric recommends immediately applying the following steps to reduce the risk of exploitation:

1. Enable IGMP Snooping: Ensure that IGMP Snooping is enabled on the switch. This feature allows the switch to intelligently forward multicast traffic only to the necessary ports where interested hosts reside. It prevents unnecessary flooding of multicast traffic across all ports, thereby enhancing network efficiency and minimizing unnecessary load on network resources.
2. Configure VLAN Interface Settings: Set up VLAN interface settings on the switch. It’s important to have distinct configurations for each VLAN to ensure proper IGMP operation.
3. Multicast Filtering: Use IGMP filtering to control the propagation of IGMP traffic through the network. This involves configuring filters on a switch virtual interface (SVI), per-port, or per-port per-VLAN basis. Multicast filtering helps manage IGMP snooping and controls multicast traffic forwarding effectively.

Schneider Electric strongly recommend the following industry cybersecurity best practices:

• Locate control and safety system networks and remote devices behind firewalls and isolate them from the business network.
• Install physical controls so no unauthorized personnel can access your industrial control and safety systems, components, peripheral equipment, and networks.
• Place all controllers in locked cabinets and never leave them in the “Program” mode.
• Never connect programming software to any network other than the network intended for that device.
• Scan all methods of mobile data exchange with the isolated network such as CDs, USB drives, etc. before use in the terminals or any node connected to these networks.
• Never allow mobile devices that have connected to any other network besides the intended network to connect to the safety or control networks without proper sanitation.
• Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and systems and ensure that they are not accessible from the Internet.
• When remote access is required, use secure methods, such as virtual private networks (VPNs). Recognize that VPNs may have vulnerabilities and should be updated to the most current version
  available. Also, understand that VPNs are only as secure as the connected devices.

For more information refer to the Schneider Electric Recommended Cybersecurity Best Practices document and the associated Schneider Electric Security Notification SEVD-2024-317-01 in PDF and CSAF.

CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of this vulnerability. CISA reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.

CISA also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS webpage on cisa.gov. Several CISA products detailing cyber defense best practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies.

CISA encourages organizations to implement recommended cybersecurity strategies for proactive defense of ICS assets.

Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available on the ICS webpage at cisa.gov in the technical information paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B–Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies.

Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents.

No known public exploitation specifically targeting this vulnerability has been reported to CISA at this time.

5. UPDATE HISTORY

• November 21, 2024: Initial Publication