PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2013-5211 Hitachi Energy CVE debrief

CVE-2013-5211 is a denial-of-service vulnerability affecting Hitachi Energy TropOS devices series 1400/2400/6400. The vulnerability resides in the monlist feature in ntp_request.c in ntpd in NTP before version 4.2.7p26. Remote attackers can exploit this flaw by sending forged REQ_MON_GETLIST or REQ_MON_GETLIST_1 requests to cause traffic amplification, resulting in denial of service conditions. This vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild in December 2013. The affected products are Hitachi Energy TropOS devices series 1400/2400/6400 running versions prior to 8.9.6. Hitachi Energy has released version 8.9.6 to address this issue. Users are advised to update to this version when available and implement proper firewall rule sets and filters as countermeasures against DoS attacks. Additional recommended security practices include physically protecting process control systems from unauthorized access, ensuring no direct Internet connections, separating networks with properly configured firewalls, restricting process control systems from Internet surfing or email use, and scanning portable computers and removable storage media for viruses before connecting to control systems.

Vendor: Hitachi Energy
Product: TropOS devices series 1400/2400/6400
CVSS: MEDIUM 5.3
CISA KEV: Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published: 2024-12-17
Original CVE updated: 2024-12-17
Advisory published: 2024-12-17
Advisory updated: 2024-12-17

Who should care

Organizations operating Hitachi Energy TropOS devices series 1400/2400/6400 in industrial control system environments should prioritize this vulnerability. Network administrators responsible for NTP infrastructure and OT security teams managing process control networks should assess their exposure. Given the historical exploitation of this vulnerability in December 2013 and its continued relevance to unpatched systems, organizations with legacy TropOS deployments should verify their patch status and implement recommended firewall mitigations.

Technical summary

The monlist feature in NTP's ntp_request.c allows remote attackers to cause denial of service through traffic amplification. By sending forged REQ_MON_GETLIST or REQ_MON_GETLIST_1 requests to vulnerable ntpd instances before version 4.2.7p26, attackers can trigger amplified response traffic. This vulnerability was exploited in the wild in December 2013. Hitachi Energy TropOS devices series 1400/2400/6400 running versions prior to 8.9.6 are affected. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 score of 5.3 (MEDIUM) with network attack vector, low attack complexity, and low availability impact.

Defensive priority

medium

Recommended defensive actions

Update Hitachi Energy TropOS devices series 1400/2400/6400 to version 8.9.6 or later when available
Implement proper firewall rule sets and filters as countermeasures for DoS attacks
Ensure process control systems are physically protected from unauthorized direct access
Eliminate direct Internet connections for process control systems
Separate process control networks from other networks using properly configured firewalls with minimal exposed ports
Restrict process control systems from Internet surfing, instant messaging, and email receipt
Scan portable computers and removable storage media for viruses before connecting to control systems
Review Hitachi Energy Cybersecurity Advisory for additional DoS vulnerability mitigation guidance

Evidence notes

The vulnerability description and affected product information are derived from the CISA CSAF advisory ICSA-24-352-02. The CVSS 3.1 vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L indicates network attack vector with low attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and low availability impact. Remediation guidance including update to version 8.9.6 and firewall configuration recommendations are sourced directly from the advisory remediations section.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

CVE-2013-5211 CVE Program record
Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2013-5211

CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.
CVE-2013-5211 NVD vulnerability detail
Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-5211

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-24-352-02.json

cisa_csaf
Source reference
Unverified legacy reference

URL: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-24-352-02

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.