Hitachi Energy IEC 60870-5-104 Denial-of-Service Vulnerability via Invalid U-Format Frames

A denial-of-service vulnerability has been identified in Hitachi Energy products that implement the IEC 60870-5-104 protocol, specifically when bi-directional functionality is enabled. The issue arises from the reception of invalid U-format frames, which can disrupt normal operations. While enabling secure communication according to IEC 62351-3 does not fix the vulnerability, it can reduce the risk of exploitation.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to a denial-of-service condition, causing the application to become unresponsive or unavailable.