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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2024-9508 Horner Automation CVE debrief

A memory corruption vulnerability in Horner Automation Cscape (versions ≤10.0.363.1) enables local attackers to disclose sensitive information and execute arbitrary code. The flaw requires local access and user interaction, with HIGH impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability per CVSS 3.1 scoring. CISA published this advisory on December 10, 2024, as ICSA-24-345-05. The vendor has released Cscape v10 SP1 to remediate this issue. No known exploitation in ransomware campaigns has been reported, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Vendor
Horner Automation
Product
Cscape
CVSS
HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2024-12-10
Original CVE updated
2024-12-10
Advisory published
2024-12-10
Advisory updated
2024-12-10

Who should care

OT/ICS security teams, plant engineers, automation specialists, and organizations using Horner Automation Cscape for PLC programming and HMI development should prioritize patching. Critical infrastructure operators in manufacturing, water/wastewater, energy, and building automation sectors relying on Horner controllers are particularly affected.

Technical summary

The vulnerability stems from memory corruption within the Cscape software, which is used for programming Horner Automation programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and operator interfaces. An attacker with local access who can convince a user to interact with a malicious file or resource could trigger the corruption, leading to information disclosure and arbitrary code execution in the context of the Cscape process. The attack complexity is low, requiring no privileges but user interaction. CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 reflects high impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vendor fix upgrades the software to v10 SP1, which addresses the underlying memory safety issue.

Defensive priority

HIGH

Recommended defensive actions

  • Update Cscape to v10 SP1 or later immediately
  • Restrict local access to engineering workstations running Cscape
  • Implement application whitelisting on OT/ICS engineering hosts
  • Monitor for unauthorized Cscape process execution or unexpected file modifications
  • Validate integrity of Cscape project files before opening
  • Segment engineering workstations from operational OT networks per ICS-CERT guidance

Evidence notes

Advisory ICSA-24-345-05 confirms affected versions and vendor fix availability. CVSS 3.1 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H indicates local attack vector with user interaction required.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2024-9508 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-9508

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

  • CVE-2024-9508 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-9508

    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-24-345-05.json

    cisa_csaf

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-24-345-05

    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.