ToolboxST prior to version 7.10 is affected by a deserialization vulnerability. An attacker with local access to an HMI or who has conducted a social engineering attack on an authorized operator could execute code in a Toolbox users context through the deserialization of an untrusted configuration file. Two CVSS scores have been provided to capture the differences between the two aforementioned attack vectors.
Customers are advised to update to ToolboxST 7.10 which can be found in ControlST 7.10. If unable to update at this time customers should ensure they are following the guidance laid out in GE Gas Powers Secure Deployment Guide (GEH-6839). Customers should ensure they are not running ToolboxST as an Administrative user.
The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently verifying that the resulting data will be valid.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toolboxst | Ge | * | 7.10 (excluding) |
It is often convenient to serialize objects for communication or to save them for later use. However, deserialized data or code can often be modified without using the provided accessor functions if it does not use cryptography to protect itself. Furthermore, any cryptography would still be client-side security – which is a dangerous security assumption. Data that is untrusted can not be trusted to be well-formed. When developers place no restrictions on “gadget chains,” or series of instances and method invocations that can self-execute during the deserialization process (i.e., before the object is returned to the caller), it is sometimes possible for attackers to leverage them to perform unauthorized actions, like generating a shell.