Moxa Vulnerabilities Surge in ICS Devices

The Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) published an alert this week that highlighted vulnerabilities in Moxa’s MiiNePort devices, which are server modules that mainly operate in the manufacturing, energy and transportation sectors. Security researcher Karn Ganeshen warned that these models are plagued by at least three Moxa vulnerabilities.

What’s the Problem?

One flaw, CVE-2016-2286, can be thought of as weak credential management. The product is not protected by a password in its default configuration, which can let a remote attacker gain full administrative access. Ganeshen said that normal password hygiene should be enforced to mitigate this issue.

CVE-2016-2295 is a flaw that allows sensitive information such as passwords to be stored in cleartext inside the device’s configuration file. Attackers could remotely access this information if the recommended Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption is not used to protect the data.

The last flaw, CVE-2016-2285, is a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability. Using it, attackers could pretend to be users, changing passwords and configurations on the device.

ICS-CERT said Moxa will release a patch to address the vulnerabilities. Until that’s available, Moxa recommended disabling HTTP and Telenet ports as well as ensuring that all ports are only accessible by trusted systems. It also suggested users enable passwords.

It’s Bigger Than Moxa Vulnerabilities

Ganeshen has also analyzed the products of other ICS vendors and found vulnerabilities; it’s not just a Moxa problem.

“I feel ICS products are essentially waiting desperately to be exploited by threat actors,” Ganeshen told SecurityWeek. “While it is understood that these products cater to critical infrastructure and their continued availability and operations are essential, it is also important to be aware that these products do not always operate stand-alone, but rather are one component in the bigger solution.”

His point is well taken: Vulnerabilities in ICS products are amplified by the complexities of the overall systems to which they are connected.

Larry Loeb

Principal, PBC Enterprises

When ransomware kills: Attacks on healthcare facilities

4 min read - As ransomware attacks continue to escalate, their toll is often measured in data loss and financial strain. But what about the loss of human life? Nowhere is the ransomware threat more acute than in the healthcare sector, where patients’ lives are literally on the line.Since 2015, there has been a staggering increase in ransomware attacks on healthcare facilities. And the impacts are severe: Diverted emergency services, delayed critical treatments and even fatalities. Meanwhile, the pledge some ransomware groups made during…

AI and cloud vulnerabilities aren’t the only threats facing CISOs today

6 min read - With cloud infrastructure and, more recently, artificial intelligence (AI) systems becoming prime targets for attackers, security leaders are laser-focused on defending these high-profile areas. They’re right to do so, too, as cyber criminals turn to new and emerging technologies to launch and scale ever more sophisticated attacks.However, this heightened attention to emerging threats makes it easy to overlook traditional attack vectors, such as human-driven social engineering and vulnerabilities in physical security.As adversaries exploit an ever-wider range of potential entry points…

4 trends in software supply chain security

4 min read - Some of the biggest and most infamous cyberattacks of the past decade were caused by a security breakdown in the software supply chain. SolarWinds was probably the most well-known, but it was not alone. Incidents against companies like Equifax and tools like MOVEit also wreaked havoc for organizations and customers whose sensitive information was compromised.Expect to see more software supply chain attacks moving forward. According to ReversingLabs' The State of Software Supply Chain Security 2024 study, attacks against the software…

Security Intelligence

{{title}}

{{title}}

{{title}}

Topics

What’s the Problem?

It’s Bigger Than Moxa Vulnerabilities

More from

When ransomware kills: Attacks on healthcare facilities

AI and cloud vulnerabilities aren’t the only threats facing CISOs today

4 trends in software supply chain security

Topic updates