Critical

ABB Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600

All CISA Advisories

Overview

ABB Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600 has been found to contain two vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to escalate privileges or overwrite files. Specifically, versions of PCM600 up to and including 2.14 are affected by CVE-2026-15952 and CVE-2026-15953. The first vulnerability allows local users with valid credentials to gain elevated privileges due to improper permission settings in the Scheduler Service. The second vulnerability concerns insufficient validation during the extraction of project archive files, enabling potential path traversal attacks. These vulnerabilities pose significant risks, particularly in critical infrastructure sectors like energy, where ABB's systems are widely deployed. Users are advised to take immediate action to mitigate these risks.

Key Takeaways

  • Affected Systems: ABB Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600 versions <=2.14, CVE-2026-15952, CVE-2026-15953
  • Action Required: ABB recommends configuring the ABBPCMSchedulerService to run under the same Windows account used for PCM600.
  • Timeline: Disclosed on 2026-10-01

Original Article Summary

View CSAF Summary Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to escalate privileges or overwrite files. The following versions of ABB Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600 are affected: Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600 <=2.14 (CVE-2026-15952, CVE-2026-15953) CVSS Vendor Equipment Vulnerabilities v3 6.4 ABB ABB Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600 Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource, Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') Background Critical Infrastructure Sectors: Energy Countries/Areas Deployed: Worldwide Company Headquarters Location: Switzerland Vulnerabilities Expand All + CVE-2026-15952 A vulnerability exists in the Scheduler Service installed with PCM600. The service executes under the LocalSystem account while permissions are granted to standard PCM600 users through membership in the local users group. An attacker with local access and valid user credentials may exploit this vulnerability to elevate privileges and obtain control of the affected host. View CVE Details Affected Products ABB Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600 Vendor: ABB Product Version: ABB Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600: <=2.14 Product Status: known_affected Remediations Mitigation ABB recommends the following workaround. Although this workaround does not correct the underlying vulnerability, it reduces the risk of privilege escalation. Mitigation Configure the appropriate ABBPCMSchedulerService instance to run using the same Windows account that is used to operate PCM600: Open Services.msc. Locate the ABBPCMSchedulerService corresponding to the installed PCM600 version. Open Properties and select the Log On tab. The service should be configured to log on with the same Windows user account that is used for the PCM600 application. Ensure that this account has the required "Log on as a service" privilege. Mitigation When authentication is enabled for the IED, the Scheduler tool must be used with the same Windows account configured as the Scheduler Service logon account. Mitigation For installations using IED security certificates, the PCM600 setting Always trust IED security certifcates must be enabled only when PCM600-to-IED communication takes place in a secure and trusted environment. Mitigation For more information, see ABB security advisory 2NGA003170 and 2NGA003179. Relevant CWE: CWE-732 Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource Metrics CVSS Version Base Score Base Severity Vector String 3.1 6.4 MEDIUM CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H 4.0 7.1 HIGH CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N CVE-2026-15953 A vulnerability exists in the processing of PCM600 project archives files. Insufficient validation of archive entry paths may permit path traversal during extraction, potentially allowing files to be written to loca tions outside the intended extraction directory. View CVE Details Affected Products ABB Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600 Vendor: ABB Product Version: ABB Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600: <=2.14 Product Status: known_affected Remediations Mitigation Configure the appropriate ABBPCMSchedulerService instance to run using the same Windows account that is used to operate PCM600: Open Services.msc. Locate the ABBPCMSchedulerService corresponding to the installed PCM600 version. Open Properties and select the Log On tab. The service should be configured to log on with the same Windows user account that is used for the PCM600 application. Ensure that this account has the required "Log on as a service" privilege. Mitigation When authentication is enabled for the IED, the Scheduler tool must be used with the same Windows account configured as the Scheduler Service logon account. Mitigation For installations using IED security certificates, the PCM600 setting Always trust IED security certifcates must be enabled only when PCM600-to-IED communication takes place in a secure and trusted environment. Mitigation For more information, see ABB security advisory 2NGA003170 and 2NGA003179. Relevant CWE: CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') Metrics CVSS Version Base Score Base Severity Vector String 3.1 5 MEDIUM CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N 4.0 5.6 MEDIUM CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:H/SA:N Acknowledgments Abhinav Agarwal reported these vulnerabilities to CISA. Legal Notice and Terms of Use This product is provided subject to this Notification (https://www.cisa.gov/notification) and this Privacy & Use policy (https://www.cisa.gov/privacy-policy). Recommended Practices CISA recommends users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities. Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, ensuring they are not accessible from the internet. Locate control system networks and remote devices behind firewalls and isolating them from business networks. When remote access is required, use more secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), recognizing VPNs may have vulnerabilities and should be updated to the most current version available. Also recognize VPN is only as secure as the connected devices. CISA reminds organizations to perform proper impact analysis and risk assessment prior to deploying defensive measures. CISA also provides a section for control systems security recommended practices on the ICS webpage on cisa.gov/ics. Several CISA products detailing cyber defense best practices are available for reading and download, including Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies. CISA encourages organizations to implement recommended cybersecurity strategies for proactive defense of ICS assets. Additional mitigation guidance and recommended practices are publicly available on the ICS webpage at cisa.gov/ics in the technical information paper, ICS-TIP-12-146-01B--Targeted Cyber Intrusion Detection and Mitigation Strategies. Organizations observing suspected malicious activity should follow established internal procedures and report findings to CISA for tracking and correlation against other incidents. CISA also recommends users take the following measures to protect themselves from social engineering attacks: Do not click web links or open attachments in unsolicited email messages. Refer to Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams for more information on avoiding email scams. Refer to Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks. No known public exploitation specifically targeting these vulnerabilities has been reported to CISA at this time. Revision History Initial Release Date: 2026-10-01 Date Revision Summary 2026-10-01 1 Initial Publication Legal Notice and Terms of Use

Impact

ABB Protection and Control IED Manager PCM600 versions <=2.14, CVE-2026-15952, CVE-2026-15953

Exploitation Status

No active exploitation has been reported at this time. However, organizations should still apply patches promptly as proof-of-concept code may exist.

Timeline

Disclosed on 2026-10-01

Remediation

ABB recommends configuring the ABBPCMSchedulerService to run under the same Windows account used for PCM600. Users should ensure that this account has the 'Log on as a service' privilege. Additionally, when using IED security certificates, the setting to always trust IED security certificates should only be enabled in secure environments. More detailed guidance can be found in ABB security advisories 2NGA003170 and 2NGA003179.

Additional Information

This threat intelligence is aggregated from trusted cybersecurity sources. For the most up-to-date information, technical details, and official vendor guidance, please refer to the original article linked below.

Related Topics: This incident relates to Windows, Phishing, CVE, and 5 more.

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