CVE-2025-48023 Overview
A denial of service vulnerability has been identified in the Vnet/IP Interface Package provided by Yokogawa Electric Corporation. When an affected product receives maliciously crafted packets, the Vnet/IP software stack process may be terminated, leading to service disruption. This vulnerability affects industrial control system (ICS) environments where Yokogawa CENTUM VP distributed control systems (DCS) are deployed.
Critical Impact
Exploitation of this vulnerability could terminate the Vnet/IP software stack process, potentially disrupting industrial control system operations in critical infrastructure environments.
Affected Products
- Vnet/IP Interface Package for CENTUM VP R6 (VP6C3300) - R1.07.00 or earlier
- Vnet/IP Interface Package for CENTUM VP R7 (VP7C3300) - R1.07.00 or earlier
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-02-13 - CVE-2025-48023 published to NVD
- 2026-02-13 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-48023
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-617 (Reachable Assertion), which occurs when the application contains an assertion that can be triggered by an attacker. In this case, maliciously crafted network packets sent to the Vnet/IP Interface Package can trigger a condition that causes the software stack process to terminate unexpectedly.
The attack requires adjacent network access, meaning the attacker must be on the same network segment as the vulnerable device. This is typical for industrial control systems that operate on segmented operational technology (OT) networks. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but has a high impact on availability, as successful exploitation results in process termination.
Root Cause
The root cause of this vulnerability lies in improper handling of malformed network packets within the Vnet/IP software stack. When the software receives packets that violate expected protocol structures or contain unexpected values, the assertion checking mechanism fails to handle these edge cases gracefully, leading to process termination rather than error recovery.
Attack Vector
The attack vector requires adjacent network access, meaning an attacker must be positioned on the same local network segment as the vulnerable Vnet/IP Interface Package. The attack does not require authentication or user interaction, and while the attack complexity is considered high, no privileges are needed to attempt exploitation.
An attacker with network access to the OT environment could craft malicious packets targeting the Vnet/IP interface. Upon receiving these packets, the software stack processes them and encounters an unhandled condition that triggers an assertion failure, resulting in process termination.
The vulnerability manifests in the network packet handling routines of the Vnet/IP software stack. For complete technical details, refer to the Yokogawa Security Advisory YSAR-26-0002.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-48023
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected termination or restart of Vnet/IP software stack processes
- Anomalous network traffic patterns targeting Vnet/IP interface ports
- Process crash logs indicating assertion failures in the Vnet/IP software
- Repeated service interruptions on CENTUM VP systems without apparent cause
Detection Strategies
- Deploy network intrusion detection systems (IDS) configured to monitor for malformed packets targeting industrial control protocols
- Implement process monitoring to detect unexpected termination of Vnet/IP software stack processes
- Configure SIEM rules to correlate network anomalies with Vnet/IP process crashes
- Enable detailed logging on CENTUM VP systems to capture assertion failure events
Monitoring Recommendations
- Continuously monitor network traffic on OT network segments where Vnet/IP devices operate
- Establish baseline behavior for Vnet/IP process stability and alert on deviations
- Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to OT networks
- Review system logs regularly for evidence of exploitation attempts or process instability
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-48023
Immediate Actions Required
- Review the Yokogawa Security Advisory YSAR-26-0002 for vendor-specific mitigation guidance
- Verify network segmentation to ensure Vnet/IP devices are isolated from untrusted network segments
- Implement strict access controls limiting which devices can communicate with Vnet/IP interfaces
- Enable enhanced monitoring on affected systems to detect exploitation attempts
Patch Information
Yokogawa Electric Corporation has published security advisory YSAR-26-0002 addressing this vulnerability. Organizations using affected products should contact Yokogawa support or visit the Yokogawa Security Advisory for patch availability and installation instructions. Update to a version newer than R1.07.00 when available.
Workarounds
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate CENTUM VP systems from potentially hostile network segments
- Configure firewalls to restrict network access to Vnet/IP interfaces to only authorized systems
- Deploy network access control (NAC) solutions to prevent unauthorized devices from connecting to OT networks
- Consider implementing application-level filtering to inspect and block malformed packets before they reach vulnerable systems
# Example firewall rule to restrict Vnet/IP access (adjust ports and IPs as needed)
# Only allow specific authorized hosts to communicate with Vnet/IP interface
iptables -A INPUT -s <authorized_host_ip> -d <vnetip_interface_ip> -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -d <vnetip_interface_ip> -j DROP
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
