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CVE-2022-29966 Emerson CVE debrief

CVE-2022-29966 is a critical vulnerability in Emerson Ovation industrial control systems, published by CISA on June 6, 2024. The vulnerability stems from multiple protocols lacking authentication mechanisms, enabling unauthenticated remote attackers to modify controller configurations or induce denial-of-service conditions. The affected product is Emerson Ovation versions 3.8.0 Feature Pack 1 and earlier. This vulnerability carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8 (Critical), reflecting network-based attack vector with low complexity, no privileges required, and high impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability is not listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Vendor
Emerson
Product
Ovation
CVSS
CRITICAL 9.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2024-06-06
Original CVE updated
2024-06-06
Advisory published
2024-06-06
Advisory updated
2024-06-06

Who should care

Industrial control system operators in energy, water, and critical infrastructure sectors using Emerson Ovation DCS; OT security teams responsible for power generation and process control environments; asset owners with legacy Ovation deployments prior to Feature Pack 3

Technical summary

The Emerson Ovation distributed control system implements multiple communication protocols without authentication requirements. An unauthenticated attacker with network access to affected Ovation controllers can exploit these protocol weaknesses to modify controller configurations or disrupt operations through denial-of-service attacks. The vulnerability affects Ovation versions 3.8.0 Feature Pack 1 and earlier. Remediation requires upgrading to Feature Pack 3 and implementing defense-in-depth architecture with OCR3000 controllers where feasible.

Defensive priority

critical

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade to Ovation 3.8.0 Feature Pack 3 to remediate identified vulnerabilities
  • Deploy OCR3000 controllers for enhanced protection unavailable in older controller models
  • Configure Ovation systems per Cybersecurity for Ovation Systems manual (OVREF1000)
  • Contact Ovation-CERT at [email protected] or 1-800-445-9723 (option 3) for impact assessment
  • Implement network segmentation to isolate Ovation control systems from untrusted networks
  • Apply defense-in-depth strategies per CISA ICS recommended practices

Evidence notes

Vulnerability description and remediation guidance sourced from CISA CSAF advisory ICSA-24-158-02. Affected product version confirmed as Ovation <=3.8.0_Feature_Pack_1. CVSS vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H validated against source.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2022-29966 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-29966

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2022-29966 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-29966

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

  • Source item URL

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cisagov/CSAF/develop/csaf_files/OT/white/2024/icsa-24-158-02.json

    cisa_csaf

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-24-158-02

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/alerts/ICS-ALERT-10-301-01

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/ics-recommended-practices

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Cybersecurity_Best_Practices_for_Industrial_Control_Systems.pdf

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/topics/industrial-control-systems

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/recommended_practices/NCCIC_ICS-CERT_Defense_in_Depth_2016_S508C.pdf

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/tips/ICS-TIP-12-146-01B

    Reference

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.