CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-12430NVD status: Deferred

AC500 V3: Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges

CVE-2024-12430 is a high-severity improper handling of insufficient permissions or privileges vulnerability in AC500 V3 from ABB, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.0 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists version 3.8.0 as the first without the flaw, so updating AC500 V3 to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.33% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update AC500 V3 to 3.8.0 or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
ABBAC500 V3before 3.8.03.8.0

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
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
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:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (ch.abb.com).

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 4.07.3HighCNA (ch.abb.com)
CVSS 3.17.0HighCNA (ch.abb.com)

Official description

An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could cause enable command execution. A vulnerability exists in the AC500 V3 version mentioned. After successfully exploiting CVE-2024-12429 (directory traversal), a successfully authenticated attacker can inject arbitrary commands into a specifically crafted file, which then will be executed by root user. All AC500 V3 products (PM5xxx) with firmware version earlier than 3.8.0 are affected by this vulnerability.

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

The underlying weakness: Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges

The product does not handle or incorrectly handles when it has insufficient privileges to access resources or functionality as specified by their permissions. This may cause it to follow unexpected code paths that may leave the product in an invalid state.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Compartmentalize the system to have safe areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area. Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.
  • Always check to see if you have successfully accessed a resource or system functionality, and use proper error handling if it is unsuccessful. Do this even when you are operating in a highly privileged mode, because errors or environmental conditions might still cause a failure. For example, environments with highly granular permissions/privilege models, such as Windows or Linux capabilities, can cause unexpected failures.

More Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges vulnerabilities (CWE-280)

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

Recent Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges vulnerabilities

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