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CVE-2024-6436 Rockwell Automation CVE debrief

A high-severity input validation vulnerability in Rockwell Automation SequenceManager allows unauthenticated remote attackers to cause denial-of-service conditions by sending malformed network packets. Successful exploitation renders the device unresponsive, requiring manual restart for recovery. While the underlying equipment sequences continue executing uninterrupted, operators lose visibility and control over downstream equipment status and commands. The vulnerability affects SequenceManager versions prior to 2.0.

Vendor
Rockwell Automation
Product
SequenceManager
CVSS
HIGH 7.5
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2024-09-10
Original CVE updated
2024-09-10
Advisory published
2024-09-10
Advisory updated
2024-09-10

Who should care

Industrial control system operators, OT security teams, manufacturing security engineers, and critical infrastructure defenders using Rockwell Automation SequenceManager for equipment sequence control in production environments.

Technical summary

The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation when processing network packets in Rockwell Automation SequenceManager. An attacker can transmit crafted malformed packets to the server, triggering a denial-of-service condition that causes device unresponsiveness. The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H indicates network attack vector with low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and high availability impact. Notably, the safety-critical equipment sequences continue executing without interruption even during the denial-of-service state, but operators lose supervisory control and monitoring capabilities.

Defensive priority

HIGH

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade Rockwell Automation SequenceManager to version 2.0 or greater to remediate this vulnerability.
  • If immediate upgrade is not feasible, implement network segmentation to restrict access to SequenceManager systems from untrusted networks.
  • Apply CISA ICS recommended practices for defense-in-depth security controls on industrial control systems.
  • Monitor for unexpected device unresponsiveness or loss of view conditions that may indicate exploitation attempts.
  • Ensure operational procedures include manual restart capabilities for affected devices in case of denial-of-service events.

Evidence notes

CISA ICS Advisory ICSA-24-254-03 published 2024-09-10 confirms this vulnerability with CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 (HIGH). The advisory specifies affected product as Rockwell Automation SequenceManager versions below 2.0.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2024-6436 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-6436

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

  • CVE-2024-6436 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-6436

    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-24-254-03.json

    cisa_csaf

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-24-254-03

    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://www.cisa.gov/uscert/sites/default/files/publications/emailscams0905.pdf

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/tips/ST04-014

    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.