CVE-2024-23796: Siemens Tecnomatix Buffer Overflow Flaw

CVE-2024-23796 Overview

CVE-2024-23796 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Siemens Tecnomatix Plant Simulation. The flaw occurs while the application parses specially crafted WRL (VRML) files. An attacker who convinces a user to open a malicious file can execute code in the context of the current process.

The vulnerability is tracked as [CWE-122] Heap-based Buffer Overflow and [CWE-787] Out-of-bounds Write. Affected releases include Tecnomatix Plant Simulation V2201 before V2201.0012 and V2302 before V2302.0006. Siemens published advisory SSA-017796 describing the issue.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running Tecnomatix Plant Simulation, enabling compromise of engineering workstations used in industrial environments.

Affected Products

Siemens Tecnomatix Plant Simulation V2201 (all versions before V2201.0012)
Siemens Tecnomatix Plant Simulation V2302 (all versions before V2302.0006)
Engineering workstations processing untrusted WRL files

Discovery Timeline

2024-02-13 - CVE-2024-23796 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-23796

Vulnerability Analysis

Tecnomatix Plant Simulation supports importing 3D scene data through Virtual Reality Modeling Language (WRL) files. The parser for these files contains a heap-based buffer overflow that triggers when specific malformed structures are processed. Writing past the bounds of an allocated heap buffer corrupts adjacent memory and control structures.

An attacker can craft a WRL file that steers the corruption toward function pointers, C++ vtables, or heap metadata. This allows redirection of execution to attacker-controlled code. Because Plant Simulation runs on engineering workstations that often hold intellectual property and connect to operational technology networks, code execution here provides a foothold into industrial control environments.

Exploitation requires user interaction, which aligns with common social engineering scenarios where victims are tricked into opening simulation project files received via email, shared drives, or supplier portals.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient bounds validation in the WRL parsing routine. The application allocates a heap buffer based on assumed field sizes but writes attacker-controlled data without verifying that the input length remains within the allocation. This out-of-bounds write ([CWE-787]) corrupts heap memory beyond the allocated region.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local and requires user interaction. An attacker delivers a malicious WRL file through email attachments, shared repositories, or removable media. When a user opens the file in an unpatched version of Tecnomatix Plant Simulation, the parser triggers the overflow and executes attacker-controlled instructions.

A proof-of-concept exploit is not publicly available at the time of this writing, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The EPSS score is 0.313% (24th percentile), reflecting the requirement for user interaction and the specialized target software.

Refer to the Siemens Security Advisory SSA-017796 for vendor-provided technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-23796

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected crashes or abnormal termination of PlantSimulation.exe while loading .wrl files
Creation of child processes such as cmd.exe or powershell.exe spawned from Tecnomatix Plant Simulation
Inbound WRL files received from untrusted email senders, external suppliers, or unmanaged USB media
Unusual outbound network connections initiated by the Plant Simulation process after opening a project file

Detection Strategies

Monitor process lineage for Plant Simulation spawning shells, script interpreters, or LOLBins
Alert on Plant Simulation writing executable files or DLLs to disk following file open events
Inspect email gateways and file shares for .wrl attachments and quarantine those from external sources
Correlate Windows Error Reporting events tied to PlantSimulation.exe with subsequent suspicious activity

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable command-line and process creation auditing on engineering workstations running Tecnomatix
Forward endpoint telemetry to a centralized platform to hunt for anomalous behavior originating from simulation tools
Track installed Tecnomatix versions across the fleet to identify hosts still running builds below V2201.0012 or V2302.0006
Review Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and network logs for large or unusual WRL file transfers into engineering segments

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-23796

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Tecnomatix Plant Simulation V2201 to V2201.0012 or later
Upgrade Tecnomatix Plant Simulation V2302 to V2302.0006 or later
Restrict engineering workstations from opening WRL files received from untrusted sources
Apply application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized child processes from Plant Simulation

Patch Information

Siemens released fixed builds addressing this heap-based buffer overflow. Administrators should install V2201.0012 or V2302.0006 (or newer) from the Siemens Industry Online Support portal. Full remediation details are documented in the Siemens Security Advisory SSA-017796.

Workarounds

Only open WRL files originating from trusted and verified sources
Segment engineering workstations from general corporate email and internet access to reduce delivery paths
Enforce least privilege so that Plant Simulation runs under standard user accounts rather than administrative contexts
Use file integrity and mail filtering controls to block or sandbox inbound .wrl attachments until patches are applied

bash

# Query installed Tecnomatix Plant Simulation version on Windows
wmic product where "Name like '%%Tecnomatix Plant Simulation%%'" get Name,Version