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CVE-2021-22681

CVE-2021-22681

CVSS 9.8 CRITICALEPSS 25.5%● KEVCWE-522
In short

Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Designer and RSLogix 5000 have a flaw that allows attackers to bypass authentication with industrial controllers without needing valid credentials. This is critical because it lets unauthorized users access and control industrial equipment, potentially disrupting operations or causing damage.

Technical detail

An unauthenticated remote attacker can bypass the cryptographic verification mechanism that validates communication between the affected Logix Designer/RSLogix software and multiple Rockwell controller models (CompactLogix, ControlLogix, DriveLogix, GuardLogix, SoftLogix series). The vulnerability enables unauthorized authentication and full administrative access to industrial control systems without requiring knowledge of legitimate credentials.

Summary generated and translated by AI from the official description.
Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Designer Versions 21 and later, and RSLogix 5000 Versions 16 through 20 use a key to verify Logix controllers are communicating with Rockwell Automation CompactLogix 1768, 1769, 5370, 5380, 5480: ControlLogix 5550, 5560, 5570, 5580; DriveLogix 5560, 5730, 1794-L34; Compact GuardLogix 5370, 5380; GuardLogix 5570, 5580; SoftLogix 5800. Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Designer Versions 21 and later and RSLogix 5000: Versions 16 through 20 are vulnerable because an unauthenticated attacker could bypass this verification mechanism and authenticate with Rockwell Automation CompactLogix 1768, 1769, 5370, 5380, 5480: ControlLogix 5550, 5560, 5570, 5580; DriveLogix 5560, 5730, 1794-L34; Compact GuardLogix 5370, 5380; GuardLogix 5570, 5580; SoftLogix 5800.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected products
n/a · Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Designer, RSLogix 5000, Logix Controllers

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References
https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ics/advisories/icsa-21-056-03https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-22681