Posted on Thursday March 06, 2025
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow anyone with user credentials to bypass the security controls enforced by the product.
Hitachi Energy reports the following products are affected:
A vulnerability exists in the database schema inside the product. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by gaining access to credentials of any account or to have access to a session ticket issued for an account. Then, through the configuration tool that accesses the proprietary Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) protocol (TCP 2102), the database table can be manipulated for privilege escalation, which then allows unauthorized modification or to permanently disabling of the device.
CVE-2021-35534 has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v3 base score of 7.2 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
A CVSS v4 score has also been calculated for CVE-2021-35534. A base score of 8.6 has been calculated; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N).
Hitachi Energy PSIRT reported this vulnerability to CISA.
Hitachi Energy has identified the following recommended immediate actions for each affected version:
For more information see the associated Hitachi Energy PSIRT security advisory 8DBD000058 Cybersecurity Advisory - Insufficient Security Control Vulnerability in Hitachi Energy Relion 670/650/SAM600-IO series Products.
Hitachi Energy recommends users implement recommended security practices and firewall configurations to help protect the process control network from attacks originating from outside the network. Process control systems should be physically protected from direct access by unauthorized personnel, have no direct connections to the Internet, and be separated from other networks by means of a firewall system with a minimal number of ports exposed. Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) protocol that is used for device configuration should be limited within the substation only. Process control systems should not be used for Internet surfing, instant messaging, or receiving e-mails. Portable computers and removable storage media should be carefully scanned for viruses before they are connected to a control system.
CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of this vulnerability. CISA reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.
CISA also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS webpage on cisa.gov. Several CISA products detailing cyber defense best practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies.
CISA encourages organizations to implement recommended cybersecurity strategies for proactive defense of ICS assets.
Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available on the ICS webpage at cisa.gov in the technical information paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B--Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies.
Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents.
No known public exploitation specifically targeting this vulnerability has been reported to CISA at this time.
Phone: +1-989-776-2080
Toll Free: +1-855-674-2968
Email: info (at) netservicesgroup dot com
DUNS 155892800
SPIN 143027933
100% Michigan
NSG is owned & operated, offering enterprise-level IT service & support, right in your own back yard.