PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2024-48846 ABB CVE debrief

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in ABB ASPECT building automation systems enable attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability affects multiple product lines including ASPECT-Enterprise, NEXUS Series, and MATRIX Series running firmware version 3.08.02 and earlier. Successful exploitation could result in exposure of sensitive information or modification of critical system settings without the victim's knowledge. The attack vector is network-accessible with low attack complexity, requiring the attacker to lure an authenticated user to a malicious website or trigger a crafted request. The confidentiality impact is rated low while integrity impact is high, reflecting the potential for unauthorized configuration changes. ABB has released firmware version 3.08.03 to address these vulnerabilities. Organizations should prioritize patching, especially for internet-exposed or critical infrastructure deployments.

Vendor: ABB
Product: ASPECT®-Enterprise
CVSS: HIGH 7.1
CISA KEV: Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published: 2024-07-03
Original CVE updated: 2024-12-05
Advisory published: 2024-07-03
Advisory updated: 2024-12-05

Who should care

Organizations operating ABB ASPECT building automation systems, particularly in critical infrastructure, healthcare facilities, data centers, and commercial real estate. Security teams responsible for OT/ICS environments, facility managers, and system integrators deploying ABB smart building solutions should prioritize this remediation. Organizations with internet-exposed ASPECT management interfaces face elevated risk and require immediate attention.

Technical summary

The vulnerability class is Cross-Site Request Forgery (CWE-352) affecting ABB's ASPECT building automation platform. The attack surface includes web-based management interfaces that lack proper CSRF token validation or origin checking. An attacker can craft malicious HTTP requests that, when executed by an authenticated administrator's browser, perform privileged operations such as modifying HVAC schedules, access control policies, or alarm configurations. The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.1 (HIGH) reflects the network accessibility, low attack complexity, and high integrity impact. The confidentiality impact is limited (LOW) as the vulnerability primarily enables state-changing operations rather than direct data exfiltration. Affected firmware versions span the entire ASPECT product ecosystem including enterprise servers (ASP-ENT-x), NEXUS edge devices (NEX-2x, NEXUS-3-x), and MATRIX controllers (MAT-x). The fix in version 3.08.03 implements proper request validation mechanisms to prevent cross-origin unauthorized commands.

Defensive priority

HIGH

Recommended defensive actions

Upgrade affected ABB ASPECT products to firmware version 3.08.03 or later to remediate CSRF vulnerabilities
Implement network segmentation to restrict ASPECT system access to authorized administrative hosts only
Deploy CSRF protection mechanisms such as SameSite cookie attributes and anti-CSRF tokens in any custom integrations
Review and audit system configurations for unauthorized changes if exploitation is suspected
Apply principle of least privilege for ASPECT administrative accounts
Monitor for anomalous configuration changes or unexpected administrative actions in ASPECT logs
Consider implementing additional authentication factors for administrative access to building automation systems

Evidence notes

CVE published 2024-07-03 per official CVE record. CISA advisory ICSA-25-007-01 issued with revision history documenting initial disclosure and subsequent updates for patch availability. Affected products confirmed through CSAF product tree: ASP-ENT-x, NEX-2x, NEXUS-3-x, and MAT-x all at versions <=3.08.02. Vendor fix confirmed in version 3.08.03 per remediation details in source advisory. CVSS 3.1 vector confirms network attack vector, low complexity, and high integrity impact.

Official resources

2024-07-03