An Improper Certificate Validation vulnerability in the OPC-UA client and ANSL over TLS client used in Automation Studio versions before 6
Description
An Improper Certificate Validation vulnerability in the OPC-UA client and ANSL over TLS client used in Automation Studio versions before 6
AI Analyst Comment
Remediation
Apply vendor security updates immediately. Monitor for exploitation attempts and review access logs.
Executive Summary:
A high-severity vulnerability has been identified in the TLS clients used by specific industrial automation software. This flaw, resulting from improper certificate validation, could allow a network-based attacker to intercept and potentially manipulate sensitive communications between industrial control systems, leading to operational disruptions or data theft.
Vulnerability Details
CVE-ID: CVE-2025-11043
Affected Software: TLS Multiple Products
Affected Versions: Automation Studio versions before 6
Vulnerability: The vulnerability is an Improper Certificate Validation flaw within the OPC-UA and ANSL over TLS client components of Automation Studio. When establishing a secure connection, the client fails to adequately verify the authenticity of the TLS certificate presented by the server. An attacker in a privileged network position (e.g., on the same local network) can exploit this by performing a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack, presenting a self-signed or otherwise invalid certificate. The vulnerable client would accept the malicious certificate, allowing the attacker to decrypt, read, and modify sensitive operational technology (OT) data in transit.
Business Impact
This vulnerability is rated as High severity with a CVSS score of 7.4, reflecting the significant risk it poses to operational environments. Successful exploitation could lead to the compromise of confidentiality and integrity of critical industrial process data. Potential consequences include theft of proprietary information, injection of malicious commands to disrupt or damage physical equipment, and loss of control over automated processes, which could result in production downtime, financial loss, and potential safety incidents.
Remediation Plan
Immediate Action: Organizations must apply vendor-supplied security updates to upgrade Automation Studio to version 6 or a later, patched version immediately. After patching, system administrators should monitor for any signs of post-remediation exploitation attempts and thoroughly review historical access and connection logs for indicators of compromise.
Proactive Monitoring: Implement enhanced network monitoring focused on the affected systems. Look for unusual TLS connection patterns, certificate validation errors in client or server logs, and connections to unexpected IP addresses. Utilize network security monitoring tools to detect potential Man-in-the-Middle activity or communication with servers using non-standard or self-signed certificates.
Compensating Controls: If immediate patching is not feasible, implement compensating controls to reduce the attack surface. Enforce strict network segmentation to isolate vulnerable OT systems from untrusted corporate and external networks. Implement firewall rules to restrict client connections exclusively to known, trusted server IP addresses.
Exploitation Status
Public Exploit Available: false
Analyst Notes: As of the publication date, January 20, 2026, there are no known public proof-of-concept exploits or observed instances of active exploitation in the wild for this vulnerability. However, vulnerabilities in OT/ICS environments are highly sought after by threat actors, and the public disclosure of this flaw may lead to future exploit development.
Analyst Recommendation
Given the high-severity rating and the critical nature of the affected industrial control systems, we strongly recommend that organizations prioritize the immediate application of the vendor's security patches. Although this vulnerability is not currently listed on the CISA KEV catalog and no active exploitation has been observed, the potential for severe operational disruption warrants urgent action. If patching is delayed, the compensating controls outlined above must be implemented without delay to mitigate the risk.