ICS Advisory

Mitsubishi Electric Automation MC-WorX Suite Unsecure ActiveX Control

Last Revised
Alert Code
ICSA-14-051-02

OVERVIEW

This advisory is a follow-up to the original alert, titled ICS-ALERT-13-259-01 Mitsubishi MC-WorX Suite Unsecure ActiveX Control,ICS-ALERT-13-259-01 Mitsubishi MC-WorkX Suite Insecure ActiveX Control, http://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/alerts/ICS-ALERT-13-259-01, web site last accessed February 20, 2014. published September 16, 2013, on the NCCIC/ICS‑CERT web site (this was originally incorrectly identified as MC-WorkX, the correct product name is MC-WorX). The original alert was prompted by an uncoordinated public web site release September 15, 2013, by an anonymous researcher.

The anonymous researcher, “Blake,” identified an insecure ActiveX control vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric Automation’s MC-WorX application with proof-of-concept (PoC) code, without coordination with NCCIC/ICS-CERT, the vendor, or any other coordinating entity known to NCCIC/ICS-CERT.

Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc has developed a patch for the vulnerable version (8.02). The currently available version of this product is MC-WorX v9.22 released in 2011, which is not vulnerable to this ActiveX vulnerability.

This vulnerability could be exploitable remotely, but requires user interaction. Exploits that target this vulnerability are known to be publicly available.

AFFECTED PRODUCTS

The following Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc product is affected:

  • MC-WorX Suite Version 8.02.

IMPACT

An attacker crafting a script could assign arbitrary code to the Login Client button. Using social engineering to get the victim to click the Login Client button, arbitrary malicious code could be launched from a remote share.

Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc has published a patch resolving this IcoLaunch.dll issue for the vulnerable version of the software.

Impact to individual organizations depends on many factors that are unique to each organization. NCCIC/ICS-CERT recommends that organizations evaluate the impact of this vulnerability based on their operational environment, architecture, and product implementation.

BACKGROUND

Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc, located in Vernon Hills, Illinois, is the primary location of the MC-WorX software product.

MC-WorX Suite Version 8.02 is deployed across several sectors including Commercial Facilities, Critical Manufacturing, Energy, and Water and Wastewater Systems in the United States.

VULNERABILITY CHARACTERIZATION

VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

EXPOSED DANGEROUS METHOD OR FUNCTIONCWE-749: Exposed Dangerous Method or Function,  http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/749.html, web site last accessed February 20, 2014.

The insecure ActiveX control is located in the IcoLaunch.dll file. An attacker can fashion a script to launch any arbitrary executable code when the Login Client button is clicked, without any authentication or permission elevation. Social engineering would be needed to get the user to click the altered Login Client button to launch the loaded executable.

CVE-2013-2817NVD, http://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2013-2817, NIST uses this advisory to create the CVE web site report. This web site will be active sometime after publication of this advisory. has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v2 base score of 9.3 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C).CVSS Calculator, http://nvd.nist.gov/cvss.cfm?version=2&vector=AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C, web site last accessed February 20, 2014.

VULNERABILITY DETAILS

EXPLOITABILITY

This vulnerability may be exploitable remotely; however, it cannot be exploited without user interaction. The exploit is only triggered when a local user clicks a preloaded Login Client button.

EXISTENCE OF EXPLOIT

Exploits that target this vulnerability are publicly available.

DIFFICULTY

An attacker with a moderate skill would be able to exploit this vulnerability.

MITIGATION

Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc has published a patch resolving this vulnerability available at the following URL:

http://www.meau.com/eprise/main/sites/public/Products/Software/-MC_Works

NCCIC/ICS-CERT encourages asset owners to take additional defensive measures to protect against this and other cybersecurity risks.

  • Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, and ensure that they are not accessible from the Internet.
  • Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls, and isolate them from the business network.
  • When remote access is required, use secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), recognizing that VPN is only as secure as the connected devices.

NCCIC/ICS-CERT also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the NCCIC/ICS-CERT web page at: http://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/content/recommended-practices. Several recommended practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies. NCCIC/ICS-CERT reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.

Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available in the NCCIC/ICS-CERT Technical Information Paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B—Targeted Cyber Intrusion Mitigation Strategies, that is available for download from the NCCIC/ICS-CERT web site (http://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/).

Organizations observing any suspected malicious activity should follow their established internal procedures and report their findings to NCCIC/ICS-CERT for tracking and correlation against other incidents.

In addition, NCCIC/ICS-CERT recommends that users take the following measures to protect themselves from social engineering attacks:

  1. Do not click web links or open unsolicited attachments in email messages.
  2. Refer to Recognizing and Avoiding Email ScamsRecognizing and Avoiding Email Scams, http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/emailscams_0905.pdf, web site last accessed February 20, 2014. for more information on avoiding email scams.
  3. Refer to Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing AttacksNational Cyber Alert System Cyber Security Tip ST04-014, http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-014.html, web site last accessed February 20, 2014. for more information on social engineering attacks.

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Vendor

Mitsubishi Electric Automation