CVE-2024-7513 Overview
CVE-2024-7513 is a local code execution vulnerability affecting Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk View SE. The flaw stems from improper default file permissions [CWE-732] that allow any local user to edit or replace files subsequently executed by an account with elevated permissions. An authenticated attacker with low privileges on the host can leverage this weakness to achieve code execution in a higher-privileged context.
Critical Impact
A low-privileged local user can replace files executed by a privileged account, resulting in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected FactoryTalk View SE host.
Affected Products
- Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk View SE
- Deployments using default file permissions on FactoryTalk installation directories
- Human-Machine Interface (HMI) workstations running the affected FactoryTalk View SE versions
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-08-14 - CVE-2024-7513 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-7513
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability affects Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk View SE, a supervisory HMI (Human-Machine Interface) software used in industrial control system (ICS) environments. FactoryTalk View SE installs files and directories with permissive default access control lists. Standard local users can modify or overwrite executable files, scripts, or configuration resources that are subsequently loaded by FactoryTalk services or scheduled tasks operating with elevated privileges.
When the higher-privileged process executes the attacker-modified file, the injected code inherits those elevated permissions. This produces a local privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution primitive on the HMI host. Because FactoryTalk View SE frequently runs on operator workstations that sit adjacent to production networks, successful exploitation can pivot into operational technology (OT) environments and disrupt industrial processes.
Root Cause
The root cause is an insecure permission assignment on installation artifacts, tracked as [CWE-732] Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource. Files and directories that must only be writable by administrators are instead writable by any authenticated local user. This violates the principle of least privilege and enables a classic write-what-where escalation pattern once a privileged consumer of those files runs.
Attack Vector
The attack requires local access and low privileges on the target host. The attacker does not need user interaction. Exploitation involves identifying a writable file that a privileged FactoryTalk process executes or loads, replacing that file with a malicious payload, and waiting for the privileged process to run it. See the Rockwell Automation Security Advisory SD1688 for technical details specific to affected file paths and versions.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-7513
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected modification timestamps on executables, DLLs, or scripts within the FactoryTalk View SE installation directory.
- New or altered files in FactoryTalk directories that do not match the vendor-signed baseline or installation manifest.
- Privileged FactoryTalk service processes spawning unusual child processes such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or unsigned binaries.
Detection Strategies
- Baseline the FactoryTalk View SE installation directory with cryptographic hashes and alert on any deviation from that baseline.
- Monitor for file writes to FactoryTalk paths performed by user accounts that are not the software installer or a service account.
- Correlate process ancestry to identify privileged FactoryTalk services executing binaries recently written by standard users.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable Windows object access auditing (Event ID 4663) on FactoryTalk installation directories to capture write and modify operations.
- Forward endpoint file integrity and process telemetry to a centralized analytics platform for cross-host correlation.
- Track service account activity for anomalous command execution originating from FactoryTalk parent processes.
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-7513
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the security update referenced in Rockwell Automation Security Advisory SD1688 to all FactoryTalk View SE installations.
- Audit file and directory permissions on FactoryTalk installation paths and remove write access for non-administrative users.
- Restrict interactive logon on HMI workstations to authorized operators and administrators only.
Patch Information
Rockwell Automation has published remediation guidance in Security Advisory SD1688. Administrators should consult the advisory for fixed version numbers and apply the vendor-supplied update. Verify patch deployment by confirming installed FactoryTalk View SE version numbers against the advisory's remediation table.
Workarounds
- Manually harden NTFS access control lists on the FactoryTalk installation directory so that only SYSTEM and Administrators retain write permissions.
- Enforce application allowlisting through Windows Defender Application Control or AppLocker to prevent execution of unsigned binaries from FactoryTalk paths.
- Segment HMI workstations from general-purpose IT networks and limit local user accounts to reduce the pool of potential attackers.
# Configuration example: audit and remove non-admin write access on FactoryTalk directory
icacls "C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Software\RSView Enterprise"
icacls "C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Software\RSView Enterprise" /remove:g "Users"
icacls "C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Software\RSView Enterprise" /grant:r "Administrators:(OI)(CI)F" "SYSTEM:(OI)(CI)F"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
