CVE-2020-12497 — PLCopen XML file parsing in Phoenix Contact PC Worx and PC Worx Express version

PLCopen XML file parsing in Phoenix Contact PC Worx and PC Worx Express version 1.87 and earlier can lead to a stack-based overflow. Manipulated PC Worx projects could lead to a remote code execution due to insufficient input data validation.

01What is this vulnerability?

PLCopen XML file parsing in Phoenix Contact PC Worx and PC Worx Express version 1.87 and earlier can lead to a stack-based overflow. Manipulated PC Worx projects could lead to a remote code execution due to insufficient input data validation.

02Affected products

Vendor	Product	Versions
Phoenix Contact	Automation Worx	unspecified
Phoenix Contact	Automation Worx Express	unspecified

03Active exploitation status

Not currently listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. EPSS is the best forward-looking signal — see the EPSS row above.

04Recommended remediation

• Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
• Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
• Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.

05Technical details

For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.

06Detection signatures

Ask SARA in chat to draft a starting detection for this CVE in your stack of choice.

07Related CVEs

No directly-cited follow-up CVEs in the KB record for this advisory. The references list in section 09 carries the vendor cross-references.

08Timeline

• Published: 2020-07-01T15:52:35.000Z
• Last modified: 2024-08-04T11:56:52.059Z

09References

• cert.vde.com — https://cert.vde.com/de-de/advisories/vde-2020-023
• www.zerodayinitiative.com — https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-825/
• www.zerodayinitiative.com — https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-398/