CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2022-3929NVD status: Modified

FOXMAN-UN: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2022-3929 is a critical-severity cleartext transmission of sensitive information vulnerability in FOXMAN-UN from Hitachi Energy, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected FOXMAN-UN versions: FOXMAN-UN R15B; FOXMAN-UN R15A; FOXMAN-UN R14B, and others listed below. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.41% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Patch this week

Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.

What to do

  1. Check which version of FOXMAN-UN you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on search.abb.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  3. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Hitachi EnergyFOXMAN-UNFOXMAN-UN R15B; FOXMAN-UN R15A; FOXMAN-UN R14B; FOXMAN-UN R14A; FOXMAN-UN R11B; FOXMAN-UN R11A; FOXMAN-UN R10C; FOXMAN-UN R9CNot stated
Hitachi EnergyUNEMUNEM R15B; UNEM R15A; UNEM R14B; UNEM R14A; UNEM R11B; UNEM R11A; UNEM R10C; UNEM R9CNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.18.3HighCNA (hitachienergy.com)
CVSS 3.19.8CriticalNVD

Official description

Communication between the client and the server application of the affected products is partially done using CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) over TCP/IP. This protocol is not encrypted and allows tracing of internal messages. This issue affects * FOXMAN-UN product: FOXMAN-UN R15B, FOXMAN-UN R15A, FOXMAN-UN R14B, FOXMAN-UN R14A, FOXMAN-UN R11B, FOXMAN-UN R11A, FOXMAN-UN R10C, FOXMAN-UN R9C; * UNEM product: UNEM R15B, UNEM R15A, UNEM R14B, UNEM R14A, UNEM R11B, UNEM R11A, UNEM R10C, UNEM R9C. List of CPEs: * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R15B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R15A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R14B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R14A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R11B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R11A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R10C:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R9C:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R15B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R15A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R14B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R14A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R11B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R11A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R10C:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R9C:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information

The product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Before transmitting, encrypt the data using reliable, confidentiality-protecting cryptographic protocols.
  • When using web applications with SSL, use SSL for the entire session from login to logout, not just for the initial login page.
  • When designing hardware platforms, ensure that approved encryption algorithms (such as those recommended by NIST) protect paths from security critical data to trusted user applications.

More Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information vulnerabilities (CWE-319)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in FOXMAN-UN

All FOXMAN-UN vulnerabilities

Recent Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information vulnerabilities

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