CVE-2024-53183 Siemens CVE debrief

Who should care

Organizations running Siemens industrial network infrastructure, particularly RUGGEDCOM and SCALANCE devices based on SINEC OS. System administrators managing Linux-based industrial control systems and security teams responsible for OT/ICS environments should prioritize patching based on network exposure and criticality of affected devices.

Technical summary

CVE-2024-53183 is a medium-severity vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) in the Linux kernel's User-Mode Linux (UML) network driver. The vulnerability occurs because driver data (drvdata) is not available during release operations, potentially causing a denial of service condition. The attack requires local access with low privileges and no user interaction. Siemens has identified affected products in their industrial networking portfolio including RUGGEDCOM RST2428P and SCALANCE switch families running SINEC OS.

Defensive priority

medium

Recommended defensive actions

• Apply vendor-provided updates to affected Siemens industrial network devices. For RUGGEDCOM RST2428P and SCALANCE XCM-/XRM-/XCH-/XRH-300 family, update to V3.2 or later. For SCALANCE XC-300/XR-300/XC-400/XR-500WG/XR-500,
• follow vendor guidance in the Siemens ProductCERT advisory.
• Implement network segmentation for industrial control systems to limit local access.
• Apply principle of least privilege for user accounts on affected systems.
• Monitor for anomalous system behavior or unexpected driver failures.

Evidence notes

The vulnerability description indicates that drvdata is not available during release operations in the UML network driver. This is a local attack vector requiring low privileges with no user interaction. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H) confirms availability impact is high, with no confidentiality or integrity impact.

Official resources