Overview
The cybersecurity landscape is riddled with an ever-growing list of vulnerabilities that can potentially lead to system compromises and data leakage. One such vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-40759, is noteworthy due to its widespread impact on a variety of SIMATIC and SINAMICS software versions. This vulnerability matters because it is rooted in the improper sanitization of stored security properties during project file parsing, which could potentially allow an attacker to cause type confusion and execute arbitrary code within the affected application.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-40759
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local/Remote
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
SIMATIC S7-PLCSIM | All versions of V17, V18, V19 (versions < V19 Update 4), V20 SIMATIC STEP 7 | All versions of V17, V18, V19 (versions < V19 Update 4), V20 SIMATIC WinCC | All versions of V17, V18, V19 (versions < V19 Update 4), V20 SIMOTION SCOUT TIA | All versions of V5.4, V5.5, V5.6 (versions < V5.6 SP1 HF7), V5.7 SINAMICS Startdrive | All versions of V17, V18, V19, V20 SIRIUS Safety ES | All versions of V17, V18, V19, V20 (TIA Portal) SIRIUS Soft Starter ES | All versions of V17, V18, V19, V20 (TIA Portal) TIA Portal Cloud | All versions of V17, V18, V19 (versions < V5.2.1.1), V20 How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of the improper sanitization of stored security properties when parsing project files in the affected software. An attacker with local or remote access to the system can craft malicious project files that, when parsed by the affected application, can cause type confusion. This confusion can subsequently be leveraged by the attacker to execute arbitrary code within the software environment, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Given the nature of this vulnerability, a conceptual example might involve the crafting of a malicious project file that exploits the type confusion vulnerability. Here’s an illustrative example, using pseudocode:
project_file = open("malicious.proj", "w")
project_file.write("{ 'security_properties': { '$type': 'System.Management.Automation.PSObject, System.Management.Automation', 'properties': { 'malicious_payload': '... arbitrary code ...' } } }")
project_file.close()In this example, the malicious project file contains a malicious payload that exploits the type confusion vulnerability, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.
