CVE-2024-11999: HMI Product RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-11999 Overview

CVE-2024-11999 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting a Schneider Electric Human Machine Interface (HMI) product. The flaw is classified as [CWE-1104]: Use of Unmaintained Third-Party Components. An authenticated user can install malicious code into the HMI product and gain complete control of the device.

The issue stems from the HMI relying on third-party components that no longer receive vendor maintenance or security updates. This exposes the device to inherited vulnerabilities that attackers can weaponize post-authentication. The vulnerability was published to the National Vulnerability Database on December 17, 2024.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation grants complete control of the affected HMI device, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of industrial control operations.

Affected Products

Schneider Electric HMI product (specific model referenced in vendor advisory SEVD-2024-345-02)
Deployments running the affected unmaintained third-party components
Industrial control environments integrating the affected HMI

Discovery Timeline

2024-12-17 - CVE-2024-11999 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-11999

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is rooted in the HMI product's dependency on third-party software components that are no longer maintained. Unmaintained components do not receive security patches for newly disclosed flaws. Any vulnerability in those components remains permanently exposed in the affected HMI firmware.

An authenticated user with access to the HMI can leverage this weakness to install malicious code on the device. Once installed, the attacker gains complete control of the HMI, including the ability to manipulate operator displays, alter process values, and pivot into connected operational technology (OT) networks. The attack impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the HMI and any industrial process it controls.

Root Cause

The root cause is the inclusion of third-party libraries or frameworks that have reached end-of-life or are otherwise unmaintained. Without ongoing patching, known vulnerabilities in those components accumulate over time. The HMI inherits every unpatched flaw present in the bundled dependency chain.

Attack Vector

The attack requires network access to the HMI and low-privileged authenticated credentials. An attacker with valid credentials uploads or installs malicious code that exploits weaknesses in the unmaintained components. Post-exploitation, the attacker executes arbitrary code with the privileges of the HMI runtime, enabling full device takeover.

No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. See the Schneider Electric Security Notice SEVD-2024-345-02 for technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-11999

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected code installation events or firmware modification attempts on HMI devices
Authenticated sessions from unusual source IPs or during off-hours performing configuration changes
Outbound network connections from HMI devices to unknown external hosts
New or modified executables, scripts, or configuration files on the HMI file system

Detection Strategies

Baseline the software inventory and running processes on each HMI, then alert on deviations
Monitor authentication logs for anomalous logins to HMI management interfaces
Inspect north-south and east-west OT network traffic for protocol anomalies originating from HMI endpoints
Correlate HMI configuration changes with change-management tickets to flag unauthorized modifications

Monitoring Recommendations

Deploy passive OT network monitoring to capture HMI communications without disrupting operations
Forward HMI audit logs and authentication events to a centralized SIEM for correlation
Track third-party component versions against public vulnerability feeds to detect known-vulnerable dependencies
Alert on any privileged action performed by low-privilege HMI accounts

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-11999

Immediate Actions Required

Review the Schneider Electric Security Notice SEVD-2024-345-02 and apply the vendor's recommended remediation for affected HMI models
Restrict network access to HMI devices using firewalls and OT-DMZ segmentation
Enforce strong authentication and rotate credentials on HMI accounts
Audit which users hold install or configuration privileges on HMI products and reduce that population to the minimum required

Patch Information

Schneider Electric has published remediation guidance in security notice SEVD-2024-345-02. Refer to the advisory for the list of fixed firmware versions and mitigation steps specific to affected HMI models. Where a firmware update is not yet available, apply the compensating controls listed in the advisory.

Workarounds

Isolate HMI devices on dedicated VLANs and block direct access from corporate or internet-facing networks
Require jump-host access with multi-factor authentication for any administrative session to the HMI
Disable unused services and network protocols on the HMI to reduce the attack surface
Monitor for unauthorized code installation attempts and enforce application allow-listing where the platform supports it

bash

# Example network restriction using iptables on an upstream OT gateway
# Allow HMI management only from an authorized engineering workstation
iptables -A FORWARD -s 10.20.30.40 -d 10.100.0.10 -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A FORWARD -d 10.100.0.10 -j DROP