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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2024-51551 ABB CVE debrief

ABB ASPECT systems ship with publicly known default credentials that allow unauthenticated remote attackers to gain full administrative access to affected devices. The vulnerability affects ASPECT-Enterprise, NEXUS Series, and MATRIX Series products running version 3.07.02 and earlier on Linux. CISA published this advisory on July 3, 2024, with subsequent updates in August, November, and December 2024 as patched versions became available. The CVSS 3.1 score of 10.0 reflects network exploitability without authentication, with high impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability across affected systems.

Vendor
ABB
Product
ASPECT®-Enterprise
CVSS
CRITICAL 10
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 or industrial control systems, particularly in critical infrastructure sectors. Security teams responsible for OT/ICS asset management, network defenders monitoring for unauthorized access to building management systems, and compliance officers tracking CISA ICS advisories.

Technical summary

ABB ASPECT systems on Linux platforms contain default credential vulnerabilities that allow remote attackers to authenticate using publicly available default credentials. The vulnerability is present in ASPECT-Enterprise (ASP-ENT-x), NEXUS Series (NEX-2x, NEXUS-3-x), and MATRIX Series (MAT-x) products through version 3.07.02. Successful exploitation grants unauthorized access to the Aspect device with administrative privileges. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates network-based attack with low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and high impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability with scope change. Vendor fixes are available in version 3.08.00 and later, with subsequent releases 3.08.02 and 3.08.03 providing additional updates.

Defensive priority

critical

Recommended defensive actions

  • Immediately inventory all ABB ASPECT, NEXUS, and MATRIX series devices in your environment and identify firmware versions
  • Upgrade all affected devices to ASPECT version 3.08.00 or later; CISA notes versions 3.08.02 and 3.08.03 were subsequently released with additional fixes
  • If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to ASPECT devices at the network perimeter and segment from untrusted networks
  • Change default credentials on all ASPECT devices where technically feasible prior to upgrade
  • Monitor for unauthorized access attempts to ASPECT management interfaces
  • Apply CISA ICS recommended practices for defense-in-depth strategies for industrial control systems

Evidence notes

Source: CISA CSAF advisory ICSA-25-007-01. Affected products confirmed via CSAF product tree: ASP-ENT-x, NEX-2x, NEXUS-3-x, and MAT-x all at versions <=3.07.02. Vendor fix confirmed in versions 3.08.00 and later per remediation data. Advisory revision history shows initial publication 2024-07-03, with updates tracking availability of versions 3.08.02 (2024-08-20) and 3.08.03 (2024-11-28).

Official resources

2024-07-03