CVE-2022-38465 Weak cryptography in SIMATIC Drive Controller family

Q: Is CVE-2022-38465 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-38465 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2022-38465?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-38465 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Critical 9.3 Published 11 Oct 2022 Updated 21 Apr 2025

Attackers can extract private keys via offline attacks to decrypt confidential configuration data and compromise legacy communication channels.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2022-38465?

CVE-2022-38465 is a critical vulnerability in Siemens SIMATIC Drive Controller family, published on 11 Oct 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC Drive Controller family (All versions < V2.9.2), SIMATIC ET 200SP Open Controller CPU 1515SP PC (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions), SIMATIC ET 200SP Open Controller CPU 1515SP PC2 (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions < V21.9), SIMATIC S7-1200 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions < V4.5.0), SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU family (incl. related ET200 CPUs and SIPLUS variants) (All versions < V2.9.2), SIMATIC S7-1500 Software Controller (All versions < V21.9), SIMATIC S7-PLCSIM Advanced (All versions < V4.0), SINUMERIK MC (All versions < V6.21), SINUMERIK ONE (All versions < V6.21). Affected products protect the built-in global private key in a way that cannot be considered sufficient any longer. The key is used for the legacy protection of confidential configuration data and the legacy PG/PC and HMI communication. This could allow attackers to discover the private key of a CPU product family by an offline attack against a single CPU of the family. Attackers could then use this knowledge to extract confidential configuration data from projects that are protected by that key or to perform attacks against legacy PG/PC and HMI communication.

Weakness: CWE-522

Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-38465?

It affects 45 products.

Products include Siemens Simatic Drive Controller Cpu 1504d Tf Firmware, Siemens Simatic Drive Controller Cpu 1507d Tf Firmware, Siemens Simatic Et 200 Sp Open Controller Cpu 1515sp Pc2 Firmware, Siemens Simatic Et 200 Sp Open Controller Cpu 1515sp Pc Firmware, Siemens Simatic S7-1200 Cpu 12 1211c Firmware, Siemens Simatic S7-1200 Cpu 12 1212c Firmware and 39 more.

How do I fix CVE-2022-38465?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-38465 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Is CVE-2022-38465 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-38465 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-45px-m6q7-hv4p.