As of January 10, 2023, CISA will no longer be updating ICS security advisories for Siemens product vulnerabilities beyond the initial advisory. For the most up-to-date information on vulnerabilities in this advisory, please see Siemens’ ProductCERT Security Advisories (CERT Services | Services | Siemens Global).
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- CVSS v4 8.7
- ATTENTION: Exploitable remotely/low attack complexity
- Vendor: Siemens
- Equipment: Spectrum Power 4
- Vulnerabilities: Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs, Incorrect Privilege Assignment, Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource, Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere
2. RISK EVALUATION
Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to remotely execute code as application administrator or locally execute code as operating system administrator.
3. TECHNICAL DETAILS
3.1 AFFECTED PRODUCTS
Siemens reports that the following products are affected:
- Spectrum Power 4: Versions prior to V4.70 SP12 Update 2
3.2 VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW
3.2.1 INCORRECT USE OF PRIVILEGED APIS CWE-648
The affected application is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation due to an exposed debug interface on the localhost. This allows any local user to gain code execution as administrative application user.
CVE-2024-32008 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2024-32008. A base score of 8.5 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N).
3.2.2 INCORRECT PRIVILEGE ASSIGNMENT CWE-266
The affected application is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation due to wrongly set permissions to a binary which allows any local attacker to gain administrative privileges.
CVE-2024-32009 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2024-32009. A base score of 8.5 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N).
3.2.3 INCORRECT PERMISSION ASSIGNMENT FOR CRITICAL RESOURCE CWE-732
The affected application is vulnerable to extraction of database credentials via a world-readable credential file. This allows an attacker to connect to the database as privileged application user and to run system commands via the database.
CVE-2024-32010 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2024-32010. A base score of 8.5 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N).
3.2.4 INCLUSION OF FUNCTIONALITY FROM UNTRUSTED CONTROL SPHERE CWE-829
The affected application is vulnerable to run arbitrary commands via the user interface. This user interface can be used via the network and allows the execution of commands as administrative application user.
CVE-2024-32011 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2024-32011. A base score of 8.7 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N).
3.2.5 INCORRECT PERMISSION ASSIGNMENT FOR CRITICAL RESOURCE CWE-732
The affected application is vulnerable to alter the local database which contains the application credentials. This allows an attacker to gain administrative application privileges.
CVE-2024-32014 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.7 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).
A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2024-32014. A base score of 5.6 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N).
3.3 BACKGROUND
- CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS: Energy
- COUNTRIES/AREAS DEPLOYED: Worldwide
- COMPANY HEADQUARTERS LOCATION: Germany
3.4 RESEARCHER
Felix Eberstaller and Sixtus Leonhardsberger from Limes Security reported these vulnerabilities to Siemens.
Siemens ProductCERT reported these vulnerabilities to CISA.
4. MITIGATIONS
Siemens has identified the following specific workarounds and mitigations users can apply to reduce risk:
- Spectrum Power 4: Update to V4.70 SP12 Update 2 or later version
As a general security measure, Siemens recommends protecting network access to devices with appropriate mechanisms. To operate the devices in a protected IT environment, Siemens recommends configuring the environment according to Siemens’ operational guidelines for industrial security and following recommendations in the product manuals.
Additional information on industrial security by Siemens can be found on the Siemens industrial security webpage
For more information see the associated Siemens security advisory SSA-339694 in HTML and CSAF.
CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities, such as:
- Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, ensuring they are not accessible from the internet.
- Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls and isolating them from business networks.
- When remote access is required, use more secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Recognize VPNs may have vulnerabilities, should be updated to the most recent version available, and are only as secure as the connected devices.
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.
CISA also recommends users take the following measures to protect themselves from social engineering attacks:
- Do not click web links or open attachments in unsolicited email messages.
- Refer to Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams for more information on avoiding email scams.
- Refer to Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks.
No known public exploitation specifically targeting these vulnerabilities has been reported to CISA at this time.
5. UPDATE HISTORY
- November 13, 2025: Initial Republication of Siemens ProductCERT SSA-339694
