# Siemens RUGGEDCOM APE1808 command injection and privilege escalation

Published: 2025-08-14 · Severity: routine · Sectors: manufacturing, infrastructure
Canonical: https://vorant.io/reports/226b8568-0b33-51e9-9591-a7d027c6254d/siemens-ruggedcom-ape1808-command-injection-and-privilege-escalation

> OS command injection and privilege escalation flaws in Siemens RUGGEDCOM APE1808 allow authenticated admins to execute arbitrary commands.

Siemens RUGGEDCOM APE1808, an industrial network appliance deployed worldwide in critical manufacturing, contains two remote vulnerabilities affecting all versions. CVE-2024-13089 is an OS command injection flaw in the update functionality that allows an authenticated administrator to execute unauthorized arbitrary OS commands by uploading malicious update packages. The vulnerability stems from improper signature validation on update packages despite signatures being checked before installation. CVE-2024-13090 is a local privilege escalation affecting a service account due to excessively permissive sudo rules, potentially allowing administrative access if an attacker can execute commands as that service account.

Successful exploitation requires administrative credentials for the first vulnerability and local access for the second, limiting the immediate attack surface. However, the remote exploitability of CVE-2024-13089 combined with high impact (confidentiality, integrity, availability) makes this a significant risk for organizations operating these appliances. No active exploitation has been reported to CISA at the time of advisory publication. Siemens has not yet released patches; organizations should contact Siemens customer support for patching information and ensure update packages are sourced only from trusted sources. Network segmentation and access controls are critical interim mitigations.

## Mentioned in this report

- Vulnerabilities: CVE-2024-13089, CVE-2024-13090

## Detection guidance (public sample)

### Sudo Used to Spawn Interactive Root Shell

ATT&CK: T1548

Detects sudo invoked to obtain a root shell (sudo -i/-s, sudo su, sudo bash/sh), the outcome of overly permissive sudo rules for a service account such as CVE-2024-13090. Auto-generated starting point — validate and tune in your environment before deploying. IOC matches can false-positive on shared infrastructure and decay as adversary infrastructure rotates.

```yaml
title: Sudo Used to Spawn Interactive Root Shell
description: Detects sudo launching a shell or su, which is how overly permissive
  sudo rules (e.g. a service account as in CVE-2024-13090) are turned into root access.
  Best triaged for service or non-interactive accounts; tune the filter to known admin
  accounts.
tags:
- attack.privilege-escalation
- attack.t1548
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: linux
detection:
  selection:
    Image|endswith: /sudo
    CommandLine|contains:
    - sudo -i
    - sudo -s
    - sudo su
    - sudo bash
    - 'sudo sh '
    - sudo /bin/bash
    - sudo /bin/sh
  filter_root:
    User: root
  condition: selection and not filter_root
falsepositives:
- Administrators legitimately escalating to a root shell with sudo -i
- Configuration management or maintenance scripts that call sudo bash
level: medium
id: 707159cc-13da-5263-b023-ca900dbfbe78
status: experimental
author: Vorant
references:
- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-25-226-09
```

Behavioural rules are generated from public reporting — validate in your environment before deploying.

Source reporting: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/ics-advisories/icsa-25-226-09

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