View CSAF
Summary
Hitachi Energy is aware of a vulnerability that affects XMC20 product versions listed in this document. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to forgery attacks potentially causing impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability for the product. Please refer to the Recommended Immediate Actions for information about the mitigation/remediation. Note: This is applicable only if XMC20 devices are configured to use remote RADIUS authentication.
The following versions of Hitachi Energy XMC20 are affected:
- XMC20 R18, vers:XMC20/<=R17A (CVE-2024-3596, CVE-2024-3596)
| CVSS | Vendor | Equipment | Vulnerabilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| v3 9 | Hitachi Energy | Hitachi Energy XMC20 | Improper Enforcement of Message Integrity During Transmission in a Communication Channel |
Background
- Critical Infrastructure Sectors: Critical Manufacturing
- Countries/Areas Deployed: Worldwide
- Company Headquarters Location: Switzerland
Vulnerabilities
Expand All +
CVE-2024-3596
The RADIUS protocol under RFC 2865 is susceptible to forgery attacks by a local attacker. An attacker can modify any valid response (Access-Accept, Access-Reject, or Access-Challenge) into another response using a chosen-prefix collision attack targeting the MD5 Response Authenticator signature.
View CVE Details
Affected Products
Hitachi Energy XMC20
Hitachi Energy
XMC20 version R18, XMC20 version R17A and earlier
known_affected
Remediations
Mitigation
Enable the RADIUS Message-Authenticator option in both the XMC20 and RADIUS server configurations. Refer to the Technical User Documentation at https://publisher.hitachienergy.com/preview?DocumentID=1KHW029001&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=R18&Action=launch.
Vendor fix
Update to XMC20 R18 and then enable the RADIUS Message-Authenticator option in both the XMC20 and RADIUS server configurations. Refer to the Technical User Documentation at https://publisher.hitachienergy.com/preview?DocumentID=1KHW029001&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=R18&Action=launch.
Mitigation
If the upgrade is not possible, apply general mitigation factors with segmentation of FOX management traffic to minimize the risk.
Mitigation
For more information, see the associated Hitachi Energy cybersecurity advisory 8DBD000233 RADIUS MD5 Vulnerability in Hitachi Energy XMC20 product available in PDF format here https://publisher.hitachienergy.com/preview?DocumentID=8DBD000233&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=launch or JSON format here https://publisher.hitachienergy.com/preview?DocumentID=8DBD000233-CSAF&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=Launch.
Mitigation
Hitachi Energy recommends implementing security practices and firewall configurations to help protect process control networks from external attacks. Such practices include ensuring that process control systems are physically protected from unauthorized access, have no direct Internet connections, and are separated from other networks by a firewall system that minimizes exposed ports, and any additional ports should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Process control systems should not be used for web browsing, instant messaging, or email. Portable computers and removable storage media should be thoroughly scanned for malware before being connected to a control system. Organizations should enforce proper password policies and procedures.
Relevant CWE: CWE-924 Improper Enforcement of Message Integrity During Transmission in a Communication Channel
Metrics
| CVSS Version | Base Score | Base Severity | Vector String |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | 9 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
Acknowledgments
- Hitachi Energy reported this vulnerability to CISA.
Notice
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Hitachi Energy. Hitachi Energy provides no warranty, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, for the information contained in this document, and assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. In no event shall Hitachi Energy or any of its suppliers be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages of any nature or kind arising from the use of this document, or from the use of any hardware or software described in this document, even if Hitachi Energy or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. This document and parts hereof must not be reproduced or copied without written permission from Hitachi Energy and the contents hereof must not be imparted to a third party nor used for any unauthorized purpose. All rights to registrations and trademarks reside with their respective owners.
Support
For additional information and support please contact your product provider or Hitachi Energy service organization. For contact information, see https://www.hitachienergy.com/contact-us/ for Hitachi Energy contact-centers.
General Mitigation Factors
Recommended security practices and firewall configurations can help protect a process control network from attacks that originate from outside the network. Such practices include that process control systems are physically protected from direct access by unauthorized personnel, have no direct connections to the Internet, and are separated from other networks by means of a firewall system that has a minimal number of ports exposed, and others that have to be evaluated case by case. 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. Proper password policies and processes should be followed.
Legal Notice and Terms of Use
This product is provided subject to this Notification (https://www.cisa.gov/notification) and this Privacy & Use policy (https://www.cisa.gov/privacy-policy).
Recommended Practices
CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the exploitation risk of these vulnerabilities.
Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, and ensure they are not accessible from the internet.
Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls and isolate them from business networks.
When remote access is required, use more secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), recognizing VPNs may have vulnerabilities and should be updated to the most recent version available. Also recognize VPN is only as secure as its connected devices.
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.
Advisory Conversion Disclaimer
This ICSA is a verbatim republication of Hitachi Energy PSIRT 8DBD000233 from a direct conversion of the vendor’s Common Security Advisory Framework (CSAF) advisory. This is republished to CISA’s website as a means of increasing visibility and is provided “as-is” for informational purposes only. CISA is not responsible for the editorial or technical accuracy of republished advisories and provides no warranties of any kind regarding any information contained within this advisory. Further, CISA does not endorse any commercial product or service. Please contact Hitachi Energy PSIRT directly for any questions regarding this advisory.
Revision History
- Initial Release Date: 2026-01-27
| Date | Revision | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-27 | 1 | Initial public release |
| 2026-02-05 | 2 | Initial CISA Republication of Hitachi Energy PSIRT 8DBD000233 advisory |
