Legacy Hirschmann HiLCOS Classic switches contain a high-risk vulnerability that could allow attackers to disrupt or take control of industrial network traffic.

This vulnerability affects the Classic Platform switches (L2E, L2P, L3E, L3P). As a late disclosure of a 2016 vulnerability, it highlights a long-standing flaw in the switches' operating environment, likely related to administrative access or network protocol handling.

The compromise of industrial switches can lead to the total loss of visibility and control over manufacturing or utility processes. A CVSS score of 8.1 indicates that an exploit could cause significant operational downtime and potential safety risks in industrial environments.

Immediate Action: Update all affected Hirschmann Classic switches to HiLCOS version 09 or later immediately.

Proactive Monitoring: Use industrial IDS/IPS solutions to monitor for unauthorized configuration attempts or unusual management protocol traffic (e.g., SNMP, SSH) targeting these switches.

Compensating Controls: Ensure that management interfaces are strictly reachable only via secure, isolated management networks and use strong, unique credentials.

Public Exploit Available: false

Immediate patching is required for all affected switches. Industrial operators must ensure that their patch management lifecycle includes legacy networking hardware to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities like this one.