Vulnerability DatabaseCVE-2020-16233

CVE-2020-16233:
Wibu-Systems CodeMeter vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

CVE-2020-16233 is a vulnerability in Wibu-Systems CodeMeter, a license manager used by many industrial control system (ICS) vendors. The vulnerability was discovered in 2020 and affects all versions of CodeMeter Runtime prior to version 7.10. This security flaw is classified as an Improper Resource Shutdown or Release vulnerability (CWE-404) with a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5, indicating a high severity issue (CISA Advisory).

Technical details

The vulnerability allows an attacker to send specially crafted packets that could cause the server to send back packets containing data from the heap. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS vector string of AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating that it is network-accessible, requires low attack complexity, needs no privileges or user interaction, and can result in high confidentiality impact (CISA Advisory).

Impact

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow attackers to read heap data from the affected systems, potentially exposing sensitive information. The vulnerability affects multiple critical infrastructure sectors worldwide, as CodeMeter is integrated into numerous industrial control system products from various vendors including Rockwell Automation, Siemens, and others (Threatpost).

Mitigation and workarounds

Wibu-Systems has released patches to address this vulnerability in CodeMeter Runtime version 7.10. The recommended mitigations include updating to the latest version of the CodeMeter Runtime, running CodeMeter only as client, utilizing the new REST API instead of the internal WebSockets API, disabling the WebSockets API, and applying AxProtector. Additionally, CISA recommends minimizing network exposure for all control system devices, locating control system networks behind firewalls, and using secure methods like VPNs for remote access (CISA Advisory).

Community reactions

Multiple major industrial control system vendors have responded to this vulnerability by issuing their own security advisories, including ABB, Bosch, CODESYS, Rockwell, Schneider Electric, and Siemens. The vulnerability has raised concerns in the security community due to its potential impact on critical infrastructure systems (Threatpost).