PatchSiren

PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2023-5180 Siemens CVE debrief

CVE-2023-5180 is a high-severity vulnerability in Open Design Alliance Drawings SDK versions prior to 2024.12, affecting Siemens COMOS. The flaw stems from improper validation of the number of sectors used by the File Allocation Table (FAT) structure when parsing crafted DGN files. A corrupted value in this field leads to an out-of-bounds write condition, which an attacker can leverage to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. The vulnerability requires local access and user interaction, as the attack vector involves convincing a user to open a malicious DGN file. Published on August 13, 2024, this issue is not currently listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Siemens has addressed the vulnerability in COMOS V10.5 and later versions.

Vendor
Siemens
Product
COMOS
CVSS
HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2024-08-13
Original CVE updated
2024-08-13
Advisory published
2024-08-13
Advisory updated
2024-08-13

Who should care

Organizations using Siemens COMOS for plant design and engineering should prioritize this patch. Engineering workstations processing DGN files from external sources, including contractors, suppliers, or legacy project archives, face elevated risk. Industrial control system operators in critical infrastructure sectors (energy, water, manufacturing) where COMOS is deployed for process design should assess exposure. Security teams responsible for OT/ICS environments should coordinate with engineering departments to validate file sources and deploy updates without disrupting operational workflows.

Technical summary

The vulnerability exists in the DGN file parsing logic of Open Design Alliance Drawings SDK, specifically in handling the FAT structure sector count. When a crafted DGN file contains a corrupted value for the number of sectors used by the FAT structure, the SDK fails to properly validate this value before using it in memory operations. This results in an out-of-bounds write that corrupts process memory. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the COMOS process. The attack requires local access and user interaction to open the malicious file, with no privileges required for the attacker beyond convincing the user to open the file.

Defensive priority

HIGH

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply vendor fix: Update Siemens COMOS to V10.5 or later version
  • Implement file source validation: Ensure all DGN files imported into COMOS originate from trusted sources and are transmitted over secure channels
  • Restrict file execution: Apply principle of least privilege to limit impact of potential exploitation
  • Monitor for anomalies: Implement detection for unexpected COMOS process behavior or crashes when handling DGN files
  • Review supply chain: Audit DGN file sources in engineering workflows to prevent introduction of malicious files

Evidence notes

The vulnerability description and affected product information are derived from CISA CSAF advisory ICSA-24-228-08, which references Siemens security advisory SSA-659443. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) confirms local attack vector with user interaction required.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2023-5180 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5180

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

  • CVE-2023-5180 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5180

    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-24-228-08.json

    cisa_csaf

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/csaf/ssa-659443.json

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-659443.html

    Reference

  • Source reference

    Unverified legacy reference

    URL: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-24-228-08

    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/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

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.