CVE-2025-24478: Denial-of-Service (DoS) Vulnerability

CVE-2025-24478 Overview

A denial-of-service vulnerability exists in Rockwell Automation products that could allow a remote, non-privileged user to send malicious requests resulting in a major nonrecoverable fault. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of exceptional conditions (CWE-755), enabling attackers to disrupt critical industrial control systems through network-based attacks.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers with low privileges can cause complete system unavailability through a major nonrecoverable fault, potentially disrupting industrial operations.

Affected Products

• Rockwell Automation Industrial Control Products (refer to Rockwell Automation Security Advisory SD1718 for specific affected versions)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-01-28 - CVE-2025-24478 published to NVD
• 2025-01-28 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-24478

Vulnerability Analysis

This denial-of-service vulnerability allows remote attackers to cause a major nonrecoverable fault in affected Rockwell Automation products. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-755 (Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions), indicating that the affected systems fail to properly handle unexpected or exceptional input conditions.

The attack is network-accessible with low complexity, requiring only low privileges and no user interaction. When exploited, the vulnerability results in complete unavailability of the affected system. The "nonrecoverable" nature of the fault is particularly concerning for industrial control environments, as it may require manual intervention or system restart to restore normal operations.

Root Cause

The vulnerability originates from improper handling of exceptional conditions (CWE-755) within the affected products. When the system receives maliciously crafted requests, it fails to gracefully handle the exceptional condition, resulting in a fault state that cannot be automatically recovered. This indicates insufficient input validation and error handling mechanisms in the network request processing logic.

Attack Vector

The attack is executed remotely over the network. An authenticated attacker with low privileges can send specially crafted malicious requests to the vulnerable system. The attack requires no user interaction and can be executed with low complexity.

The exploitation flow involves:

1. Attacker identifies a vulnerable Rockwell Automation system accessible on the network
2. Attacker authenticates with minimal privileges (low privilege requirement)
3. Attacker sends maliciously crafted requests designed to trigger the exceptional condition
4. The system fails to properly handle the input, entering a major nonrecoverable fault state
5. System availability is completely compromised, requiring manual recovery

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-24478

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected system faults or crashes in Rockwell Automation controllers
• Unusual network traffic patterns targeting industrial control system ports
• Authentication attempts followed by system unavailability
• Repeated connection requests from unauthorized or suspicious IP addresses

Detection Strategies

• Monitor network traffic for anomalous request patterns targeting Rockwell Automation systems
• Implement IDS/IPS rules to detect malformed or suspicious packets directed at industrial control systems
• Configure alerting for unexpected system fault conditions or controller restarts
• Review authentication logs for unusual access patterns from low-privileged accounts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging on all Rockwell Automation devices and forward to a centralized SIEM
• Monitor system health metrics and availability status continuously
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to OT networks
• Establish baseline behavior for network communications and alert on deviations

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-24478

Immediate Actions Required

• Review the Rockwell Automation Security Advisory SD1718 for affected product versions and specific guidance
• Restrict network access to affected systems using firewalls and access control lists
• Implement network segmentation to isolate industrial control systems from general network traffic
• Ensure only authorized personnel have network access to vulnerable systems
• Monitor systems for signs of exploitation attempts

Patch Information

Rockwell Automation has released security guidance for this vulnerability. Organizations should consult the Rockwell Automation Security Advisory SD1718 for specific patch information, affected firmware versions, and recommended updates. Apply vendor-provided patches according to your organization's change management procedures.

Workarounds

• Implement strict network access controls to limit who can communicate with affected devices
• Use VPN or secure tunneling for any remote access to industrial control systems
• Deploy application-layer firewalls capable of inspecting industrial protocol traffic
• Disable unnecessary network services and ports on affected systems
• Implement rate limiting to prevent flooding attacks against vulnerable endpoints

# Example firewall rule to restrict access to industrial control systems
# Adjust IP ranges and ports according to your environment

# Allow only trusted management hosts
iptables -A INPUT -s 10.0.10.0/24 -p tcp --dport 44818 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -s 10.0.10.0/24 -p udp --dport 44818 -j ACCEPT

# Drop all other traffic to EtherNet/IP port
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 44818 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 44818 -j DROP