Hirschmann HiLCOS devices, including OpenBAT and WLC series, are susceptible to a high-severity vulnerability that could lead to unauthorized access or control of industrial networking equipment.

This vulnerability affects the HiLCOS operating system used in various Hirschmann industrial wireless and controller products. Although this is a late disclosure of a 2015 vulnerability, the flaw likely impacts core administrative or communication functions, potentially allowing an attacker to bypass security controls.

The impact on industrial control systems (ICS) is significant, as these devices manage critical wireless communications and network logic. A successful exploit could lead to network downtime, interception of industrial data, or unauthorized configuration changes, justified by the High CVSS score of 8.2.

Immediate Action: Upgrade all affected Hirschmann devices to HiLCOS version 8 or higher immediately to resolve the underlying security flaw.

Proactive Monitoring: Implement deep packet inspection (DPI) on industrial network traffic to identify anomalous management traffic directed at HiLCOS devices.

Compensating Controls: Isolate industrial wireless controllers within dedicated management VLANs and implement strict Access Control Lists (ACLs) to limit device exposure.

Public Exploit Available: false

Given the critical role these devices play in industrial environments and the High CVSS score, immediate remediation is required. Organizations should conduct an inventory of all legacy Hirschmann equipment and ensure they are running supported, patched firmware.