CVE-2024-48846: ABB ASPECT-ENT-2 Firmware CSRF Vulnerability

CVE-2024-48846 Overview

CVE-2024-48846 is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability affecting ABB building automation controllers in the ASPECT-Enterprise, NEXUS Series, and MATRIX Series product lines running firmware v3.08.02. An attacker who convinces an authenticated administrator to visit a malicious page can force the browser to submit forged state-changing requests to the device. Successful exploitation can expose sensitive information or alter system settings on operational technology (OT) equipment used to manage HVAC, lighting, and energy systems. The weakness is tracked under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery.

Critical Impact
Attackers can leverage an authenticated user's session to change device configuration or leak sensitive data on internet-exposed or reachable ABB building automation controllers.

Affected Products

ABB ASPECT-Enterprise (ASPECT-ENT-2, ASPECT-ENT-12, ASPECT-ENT-96, ASPECT-ENT-256) firmware v3.08.02
ABB NEXUS Series (NEXUS-2128, NEXUS-2128-A/F/G, NEXUS-264, NEXUS-264-A/F/G, NEXUS-3-2128, NEXUS-3-264) firmware v3.08.02
ABB MATRIX Series (MATRIX-11, MATRIX-216, MATRIX-232, MATRIX-264, MATRIX-296) firmware v3.08.02

Discovery Timeline

2024-12-05 - CVE-2024-48846 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-48846

Vulnerability Analysis

The ABB ASPECT, NEXUS, and MATRIX web management interfaces do not adequately validate the origin or intent of state-changing HTTP requests. Requests that modify configuration or return sensitive data rely on the browser's ambient session cookie rather than a per-request anti-CSRF token or strict SameSite cookie enforcement. When an authenticated operator is tricked into loading attacker-controlled content, the browser silently submits authenticated requests to the controller.

Because these devices administer building systems, an attacker can pivot from a phishing lure to unauthorized changes on physical infrastructure. The vulnerability is remotely reachable over the network and requires low privileges from the victim: any authenticated session held by an operator is sufficient to trigger the forged action.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing CSRF protection on authenticated endpoints in the device management web application. The application does not verify that a submitted request was initiated by a first-party page. Standard mitigations such as synchronizer tokens, double-submit cookies, Origin/Referer header validation, and SameSite=Strict cookie attributes are either absent or insufficient in firmware v3.08.02.

Attack Vector

Exploitation follows the standard CSRF pattern. An attacker hosts a page containing an auto-submitting HTML form, image tag, or fetch() call targeting a specific administrative endpoint on the controller. The attacker then delivers the link through phishing or by embedding it on a page the operator visits. If the operator has an active session with the ASPECT, NEXUS, or MATRIX controller, the browser attaches the session cookie and the device processes the forged request as legitimate. No proof-of-concept exploit is publicly listed in ExploitDB or CISA KEV at time of publication.

See the ABB security advisory for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-48846

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected configuration changes on ASPECT, NEXUS, or MATRIX controllers correlated with recent operator web activity.
HTTP requests to the device management interface carrying a cross-origin Referer or Origin header pointing to an unknown external site.
Administrative actions initiated outside normal maintenance windows or from operator sessions that show no corresponding UI navigation pattern.

Detection Strategies

Inspect web server and reverse-proxy logs in front of the controllers for state-changing POST/PUT requests lacking a same-origin Referer header.
Compare device configuration snapshots against an approved baseline to identify unauthorized parameter or account changes.
Alert on any authenticated administrative request pattern that originates immediately after an operator loads external, non-corporate URLs.

Monitoring Recommendations

Centralize controller access logs and browser telemetry from operator workstations into a SIEM to correlate cross-origin activity with device changes.
Monitor for phishing emails or watering-hole URLs delivered to engineering and facilities staff who administer ABB systems.
Track failed and successful configuration writes to the ABB management interface and route them to on-call OT security personnel.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-48846

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the firmware update published by ABB for ASPECT-Enterprise, NEXUS, and MATRIX products above v3.08.02 as referenced in the ABB advisory.
Remove any direct internet exposure of the controller management interface and place devices behind a firewall or VPN.
Require operators to log out of the management interface when not actively administering the device.

Patch Information

ABB has published fixed firmware and an advisory for these products. Review the vendor bulletin 9AKK108469A7497 and upgrade all ASPECT-ENT, NEXUS, and MATRIX firmware from v3.08.02 to the remediated release identified by ABB. Confirm the upgrade on every device in the fleet, as multiple hardware SKUs share the affected firmware line.

Workarounds

Restrict access to the controller management interface using network segmentation and allowlisted administrative source IPs.
Enforce dedicated administrative browsers or browser profiles used only for OT management, blocking general web browsing on that profile.
Require operators to close all other browser tabs before authenticating to the ABB management interface to reduce cross-origin exposure.

bash

# Example firewall restriction limiting management access to a jump host
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.10.20.5/32 -d <controller-ip> -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -d <controller-ip> -j DROP