CVE-2024-40620: Pavilion8 Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2024-40620 Overview

CVE-2024-40620 is an information disclosure vulnerability affecting Rockwell Automation Pavilion8. The flaw stems from missing encryption between the Console and the Dashboard, allowing sensitive data to traverse the network in cleartext. Because proxy servers commonly log HTTP traffic, the transmitted data can appear in proxy logs and be read by anyone with log access. The issue is classified under CWE-311: Missing Encryption of Sensitive Information.

Critical Impact
Sensitive data exchanged between the Console and Dashboard components of Pavilion8 can be observed in plaintext via proxy server logs, compromising data confidentiality.

Affected Products

Rockwell Automation Pavilion8
Pavilion8 version 5.20.00
Deployments where Console-to-Dashboard traffic traverses intermediate proxies

Discovery Timeline

2024-08-14 - CVE-2024-40620 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-40620

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability arises from the Pavilion8 architecture transmitting sensitive information between its Console and Dashboard components without applying transport encryption. Any network intermediary that inspects, forwards, or logs the traffic can observe the data. Enterprise proxy deployments, which frequently record request metadata and payloads, become an unintended repository of sensitive application content.

An attacker with access to proxy logs, network taps, or an on-path position between the Console and Dashboard can harvest disclosed information without triggering authentication controls on the Pavilion8 application. Exploitation does not require code execution or privilege escalation; passive observation is sufficient. The impact is limited to confidentiality, with no direct integrity or availability effect on the industrial control workflow.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of a cryptographic transport layer for Console-to-Dashboard communications. The application relies on the assumption that the transit network is trusted, which is invalid in environments that include forward proxies, reverse proxies, load balancers, or logging appliances. This design defect is characterized by CWE-311.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires a network-adjacent position or access to logging infrastructure that observes the plaintext channel. Threat actors with read access to proxy logs, SIEM archives containing raw proxy telemetry, or packet captures can extract the disclosed information. No user interaction is required, and low-privileged access to logging systems is sufficient to retrieve the exposed data.

The vulnerability manifests in the network transport between Pavilion8 Console and Dashboard. Refer to the Rockwell Automation Security Advisory SD1691 for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-40620

Indicators of Compromise

Plaintext HTTP requests between Pavilion8 Console and Dashboard hosts captured in proxy access logs
Sensitive Pavilion8 field names, parameters, or values appearing in SIEM records sourced from proxies
Unencrypted TCP sessions on Pavilion8 service ports observed in NetFlow or packet captures

Detection Strategies

Inspect proxy server access and debug logs for URLs and payloads originating from Pavilion8 Console clients.
Use network protocol analyzers to confirm whether Console-to-Dashboard sessions negotiate TLS or transmit HTTP in cleartext.
Correlate Pavilion8 host telemetry with proxy telemetry to identify any intermediary logging sensitive fields.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable continuous monitoring of proxy log access, alerting on unusual read patterns against Pavilion8-related log indices.
Track Pavilion8 host network flows and flag any non-TLS traffic on management and dashboard ports.
Review SIEM data retention for proxy sources to limit long-term storage of previously exposed plaintext content.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-40620

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the vendor guidance published in Rockwell Automation Advisory SD1691.
Audit all proxy servers in the Pavilion8 communication path and purge historical logs that contain sensitive plaintext data.
Restrict access to proxy log stores using least-privilege controls and multi-factor authentication.

Patch Information

Rockwell Automation has published remediation guidance in Security Advisory SD1691. Operators of Pavilion8 5.20.00 should follow the vendor's instructions for upgrading or reconfiguring the Console and Dashboard components to eliminate the unencrypted channel. Consult the Rockwell Automation Security Advisory for version-specific fix information.

Workarounds

Route Console-to-Dashboard traffic through a TLS-terminating reverse proxy configured to encrypt the transport end-to-end.
Segment Pavilion8 management traffic onto an isolated VLAN that bypasses shared enterprise proxies.
Disable verbose payload logging on any proxy or load balancer that must remain in the Pavilion8 traffic path.

bash

# Example: restrict proxy log read access and enforce short retention
chown root:secops /var/log/proxy/pavilion8*.log
chmod 640 /var/log/proxy/pavilion8*.log
find /var/log/proxy -name 'pavilion8*.log' -mtime +7 -delete