The problems are related to the implementation of the authentication of the MELSOFT communication protocol.
Specialists from the information security firm Nozomi Networks Labs have warned of five vulnerabilities in Mitsubishi programmable logic controllers (PLCs). The problems are related to the implementation of the authentication of the MELSOFT communication protocol.
The vulnerabilities found are believed to affect multiple vendors. The researchers discovered vulnerabilities while analyzing the MELSOFT protocol, which is used as the communication protocol for Mitsubishi PLCs and related software for GX Works3 workstations. Authentication using MELSOFT over TCP port 5007 is implemented through a login/password pair, which in some cases can be vulnerable to brute force attacks.
The team tested several methods that provide access to systems and found that in some cases attackers can reuse session tokens created after successful authentication.
Once an attacker gains access to the system, he can block other users, forcing the latter to manually disable the device to avoid further harm.
Nozomi Networks Labs recommends that system administrators protect the communication between the engineer workstation and the PLC, as well as secure access to the PLC itself so that an attacker cannot actively exchange authentication packets with the device. The report does not specifically mention the technical details of the vulnerabilities or the POC code for exploiting them in order to protect systems from potential attacks.
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