ICS Advisory

WellinTech Vulnerabilities

Last Revised
Alert Code
ICSA-13-344-01

OVERVIEW

This advisory was originally posted to the US-CERT secure Portal library on December 10, 2013, and is now being released to the NCCIC/ICS-CERT Web site.

NCCIC/ICS-CERT received reports from the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) regarding a remote code execution vulnerability and an information disclosure vulnerability in WellinTech KingSCADA, KingAlarm&Event, and KingGraphic applications. These vulnerabilities were reported to ZDI by security researcher Andrea Micalizzi. WellinTech has produced a new version that mitigates these vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities could be exploited remotely.

AFFECTED PRODUCTS

WellinTech reports that these vulnerabilities affect the following products:

  • KingSCADA 3.1 and all previous versions,
  • KingAlarm&Event 2.0.2 and all previous versions, and
  • KingGraphic 3.1 and all previous versions.

IMPACT

A remote attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities to acquire the credentials to login to the database as a legitimate user or remotely execute code in the context of the target process.

Impact to individual organizations depends on many factors that are unique to each organization. NCCIC/ICS-CERT recommends that organizations evaluate the impact of these vulnerabilities based on their operational environment, architecture, and product implementation.

BACKGROUND

WellinTech is a software development company specializing in automation and control. WellinTech is based in Beijing, China, with branches in the United States, Japan, Singapore, Europe, and Taiwan.

The WellinTech Web site describes KingSCADA as a Windows-based control, monitoring, and data collection application used across several industries including power, water, building automation, mining, and other sectors. 

VULNERABILITY CHARACTERIZATION

VULNERABILITY OVERVIEW

INFORMATION DISCLOSURE VULNERABILITYCWE-538: File and Directory Information Exposure, http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/538.html, Web site last accessed January 14, 2014.

Authentication to this service is performed locally through the KAEClientManager console but not against remote connections. A remote attacker with knowledge of the proprietary protocol can send a specially crafted packet to Port 8130/TCP to disclose credentials.

CVE-2013-2826NVD, http://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2013-2826, NIST uses this advisory to create the CVE Web site report. This Web site will be active sometime after publication of this advisory. has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v2 base score of 7.5 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P).CVSS Calculator, http://nvd.nist.gov/cvss.cfm?version=2&vector=AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P, Web site last accessed January 14, 2014.

ACTIVEX REMOTE CODE EXECUTION VULNERABILITYCWE-749: Exposed Dangerous Method or Function, http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/749.html, Web site last accessed January 14, 2014.

By properly setting the ProjectURL property, it is possible for an attacker to download an arbitrary dll file from a remote location and run the code in the dll in the context of the target process.

CVE-2013-2827NVD, http://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2013-2827, NIST uses this advisory to create the CVE Web site report. This Web site will be active sometime after publication of this advisory. has been assigned to this vulnerability. A CVSS v2 base score of 7.5 has been assigned; the CVSS vector string is (AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P).CVSS Calculator, http://nvd.nist.gov/cvss.cfm?version=2&vector=AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P, Web site last accessed January 14, 2014.

VULNERABILITY DETAILS

EXPLOITABILITY

These vulnerabilities could be exploited remotely.

EXISTENCE OF EXPLOIT

No known public exploits specifically target these vulnerabilities.

DIFFICULTY

An attacker with a low skill would be able to exploit these vulnerabilities.

MITIGATION

WellinTech has released KingSCADA Version 3.5 that mitigates these vulnerabilities. They have provided the following links to the latest version:

NCCIC/ICS-CERT encourages asset owners to take additional defensive measures to protect against this and other cybersecurity risks.

  • Minimize network exposure for all control system devices. Critical devices should not directly face the Internet.
  • Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls, and isolate them from the business network.
  • When remote access is required, use secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), recognizing that VPN is only as secure as the connected devices.

NCCIC/ICS-CERT also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the NCCIC/ICS-CERT Web page at http://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/content/recommended-practices. Several recommended practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies. NCCIC/ICS-CERT reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures.

Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available in the NCCIC/ICS-CERT Technical Information Paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B—Targeted Cyber Intrusion Mitigation Strategies, that is available for download from the NCCIC/ICS-CERT Web site (http://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/).

Organizations observing any suspected malicious activity should follow their established internal procedures and report their findings to NCCIC/ICS-CERT for tracking and correlation against other incidents.

This product is provided subject to this Notification and this Privacy & Use policy.

Vendor

WellinTech