Critical Vulnerabilities Found in Phoenix Contact Charging Controllers
Industrial automation leader Phoenix Contact has issued an urgent security alert regarding multiple critical vulnerabilities discovered within the firmware of their CHARX SEC charge controllers. These flaws, uncovered during a recent security competition, could allow attackers to execute code remotely, escalate privileges, and potentially gain full control of affected devices.
According to advisories published by Phoenix Contact and Germany’s CERT@VDE, which coordinates cybersecurity issues related to industrial automation, multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Firmware of CHARX SEC charge controllers. These vulnerabilities were discovered as part of a PWN2OWN competition initiated by Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative (ZDI).
The Vulnerabilities
The most severe flaws include:
- Remote Code Execution (RCE): Attackers could execute malicious code without authentication, potentially hijacking the controller [CVE-2024-25995 (CVSS 9.8), CVE-2024-26003 (CVSS 7.5].
- Privilege Escalation: Attackers could elevate their privileges to the root level, granting them complete system access (CVE-2024-25994, CVE-2024-25996, CVE-2024-25997, CVE-2024-26000).
- Man-in-the-Middle (MiTM) Attacks: Sensitive data could be intercepted in transit, compromising communications (CVE-2024-26288).
The Risks: From Disruption to Takeover
While some vulnerabilities pose medium risk individually, attackers could chain them to achieve full device compromise. This presents a severe threat to industrial settings:
- Charging Outages: Malicious actors could disrupt critical electric vehicle charging infrastructure, impacting business operations.
- Hijacked Devices: Controllers could be used as a beachhead for further attacks within industrial networks.
- Data Theft and Manipulation: Sensitive data related to charging processes and potentially wider industrial operations could be stolen or altered.
Protecting Your Systems
- Patch Immediately: Phoenix Contact strongly urges users to install firmware version v1.5.1 or later.
- Network Security: Implement network segmentation and firewalls to isolate these devices from other sensitive systems.
- Refer to Phoenix Contact’s Application Note: Follow the company’s comprehensive guidance on securing network-connected industrial devices.
