CVE-2024-41681: Siemens Location Intelligence Weakness

CVE-2024-41681 Overview

CVE-2024-41681 affects the Siemens Location Intelligence family in all versions prior to V4.4. The web server ships with a default configuration that supports weak cryptographic ciphers. An unauthenticated attacker positioned on the network path between a legitimate client and the affected device can leverage this weakness to read and modify data traversing the connection. The flaw is categorized under CWE-326: Inadequate Encryption Strength and requires adjacent network access to exploit.

Critical Impact
An on-path attacker can intercept, decrypt, and tamper with communications between clients and the Location Intelligence web server, compromising confidentiality and integrity of operational data.

Affected Products

Siemens Location Intelligence, all versions prior to V4.4
Deployments exposing the built-in web server to reachable network segments
Environments using the default TLS cipher configuration shipped by the vendor

Discovery Timeline

2024-08-13 - CVE-2024-41681 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-41681

Vulnerability Analysis

The Siemens Location Intelligence web server is configured to negotiate weak Transport Layer Security (TLS) ciphers by default. Weak ciphers include algorithms with insufficient key length, known cryptographic flaws, or susceptibility to downgrade and padding-oracle style attacks. When a client connects, the server accepts these obsolete suites during the TLS handshake, degrading the confidentiality and integrity guarantees of the session.

Because the flaw is a configuration weakness rather than a memory-safety bug, no authentication or user interaction on the target device is required. An attacker with adjacent network access (for example, on the same routed segment or with control of an intermediate hop) can force or exploit weak-cipher negotiation to decrypt or modify traffic.

Root Cause

The root cause is an insecure default configuration in the affected web server. Product versions prior to V4.4 do not restrict the accepted cipher list to modern, forward-secret suites. This aligns with the definition of CWE-326: Inadequate Encryption Strength, where the algorithm chosen provides insufficient protection against a capable attacker.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an on-path position between a legitimate client and the Location Intelligence device. An attacker performs a machine-in-the-middle attack, influences the TLS handshake to select a weak cipher, and then either recovers plaintext or manipulates data flowing across the connection. The attack complexity is high because it depends on gaining that on-path position and, in some scenarios, active user interaction with a spoofed session.

No public proof-of-concept exploit is available at the time of writing. Refer to the Siemens Security Advisory SSA-720392 for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-41681

Indicators of Compromise

TLS sessions to Location Intelligence hosts negotiated with deprecated ciphers such as RC4, 3DES, or NULL/EXPORT-grade suites
Unexpected certificate warnings or certificate substitution observed by legitimate clients
Anomalous ARP, DHCP, or routing entries on segments adjacent to affected devices, suggesting on-path positioning

Detection Strategies

Scan Location Intelligence endpoints with TLS assessment tools such as sslscan, testssl.sh, or nmap --script ssl-enum-ciphers to enumerate accepted cipher suites
Correlate network telemetry to identify handshakes that complete with cipher suites outside the organization's approved list
Alert on repeated TLS renegotiation or downgrade patterns targeting Location Intelligence hosts

Monitoring Recommendations

Continuously inventory the TLS configuration of operational technology (OT) web interfaces and flag drift from the approved baseline
Monitor Layer 2 and Layer 3 telemetry for signs of adjacent-network attacker positioning near affected assets
Log and review client-side certificate validation failures reported by browsers and integration services

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-41681

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Siemens Location Intelligence to V4.4 or later, per the vendor advisory
Restrict management network access to the web server using firewalls and network segmentation
Require clients to connect only through segments protected from adjacent-network attackers
Enforce an organization-wide TLS policy that disables weak ciphers on all OT web interfaces

Patch Information

Siemens addresses the weak cipher default in Location Intelligence V4.4 and later. Full remediation details are available in the Siemens Security Advisory SSA-720392. Apply the vendor-supplied update following change-control procedures for the affected environment.

Workarounds

Place affected devices behind a TLS-terminating reverse proxy configured to accept only strong, forward-secret cipher suites
Limit connectivity to Location Intelligence to trusted management workstations on a dedicated VLAN
Deploy IPsec or an equivalent tunnel between clients and the device to remove reliance on the built-in TLS configuration

bash

# Example: verify accepted cipher suites on the affected web server
nmap --script ssl-enum-ciphers -p 443 <location_intelligence_host>

# Example: quick TLS assessment with testssl.sh
testssl.sh --severity HIGH --warnings off https://<location_intelligence_host>