CVE-2021-22288 : Security Advisory and Response

On February 2, 2022, a security advisory was released regarding denial of service vulnerabilities found in the ABB SPIET800 and PNI800 modules. The vulnerability could allow attackers to disrupt services or render the modules unresponsive.

Understanding CVE-2021-22288

This CVE addresses improper input validation vulnerabilities in the ABB SPIET800's INFI-Net to Ethernet Transfer module and the PNI800's S+ Ethernet communication interface module.

What is CVE-2021-22288?

The CVE-2021-22288 vulnerability involves improper input validation that permits attackers to induce denial of service attacks on the ABB SPIET800 and PNI800 modules, causing them to become unresponsive.

The Impact of CVE-2021-22288

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as HIGH with a CVSS score of 7.5 due to the potential for a network-based attack to have a significant availability impact, potentially affecting critical systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-22288

The vulnerability arises from improper input validation mechanisms within the SPIET800 and PNI800 modules, enabling attackers to disrupt services and potentially harm critical infrastructure.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows threat actors to exploit the modules' input validation to trigger denial of service attacks, leading to service disruptions or unresponsive modules.

Affected Systems and Versions

The affected products include the ABB SPIET800 and PNI800 modules with firmware versions up to A_B. Customers are advised to upgrade to firmware versions A_C or later for SPIET800 and B_0 or later for PNI800 to mitigate the vulnerabilities.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring any user interaction, making it particularly dangerous for organizations using the vulnerable ABB modules.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2021-22288, immediate actions and long-term security practices are recommended to safeguard systems against potential attacks.

Immediate Steps to Take

ABB recommends all customers to review their installations to identify affected products and apply the provided firmware upgrades promptly to mitigate the vulnerabilities.

Long-Term Security Practices

Incorporating robust input validation mechanisms and regularly updating firmware versions can help prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Patching and Updates

All identified vulnerabilities in the SPIET800 and PNI800 modules will be remedied in firmware versions A_C and B_0 or later, respectively.