CriticalCVE-2018-7841

    Schneider Electric U.motion Builder SQL Injection Vulnerability (CVE-2018-7841)

    Published In CISA KEV since Sources: CVE.org

    What is affected, what to do

    A SQL Injection (CWE-89) vulnerability exists in U.motion Builder software version 1.3.4 which could cause unwanted code execution when an improper set of characters is entered.

    The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.

    Affected
    • U.motion Builder software version 1.3.4 eq U.motion Builder software version 1.3.4..U.motion Builder software version 1.3.4

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    9.8

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: NVD, CVSS v3

    9.8

    CVSS v3

    Severity Critical on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: CVE.org

    72.7 %

    EPSS score

    High — model estimates ≥ 50% chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 99.45

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    Critical
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    228.11 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    actively exploited
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    9.8 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    9.8
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

    Read in glossary
    72.7 %
    High — model estimates ≥ 50% chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    99.45
    Critical — this CVE ranks in the top fifth of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 80%).
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited
    Published
    In CISA KEV since

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary

    Response and mitigation

    Why act now?

    Prioritisation rationale

    This flaw is network-reachable without authentication or user interaction and leads to code execution. Public exploit code exists, and it sits among the CVEs most likely to be exploited. In practice it is hit by automated mass exploitation of exposed IoT and building-automation devices, which are conscripted into botnets or used as a foothold into internal networks. CISA lists no known ransomware use. Treat any internet-facing instance as critical, requiring action today. Treat internally segmented instances as high priority, because the product is unlikely to receive a lasting fix and BA systems in critical-infrastructure environments control physical functions such as access control, HVAC and lighting.

    1. Runbook step 1

      Immediate response (0-24 h)

      • Inventory: Find every Schneider Electric U.motion Builder and U.motion server instance (affected: version 1.3.4). Use your CMDB, OT asset inventory, Shodan/Censys lookups of your own IP ranges, and internal scans for the web UI on TCP 80/443.
      • Kill internet exposure now: Block any internet-reachable U.motion web interface at the perimeter firewall, and remove port forwards and NAT rules pointing at these devices. Exploitation needs no authentication and works over the network, so this comes first.
      • Confirm patch status: The context names no fixed version. Check the Schneider Electric security advisory for patch and support status. If no fix exists or the product is end-of-life, raise decommissioning or migration to a supported building-automation platform as a high-priority change.
      • Assume compromise on exposed units: Preserve configuration, logs and web access logs. Review outbound connections to unknown destinations. If you find indicators, isolate the device and rebuild it from a known-good state.
      • Rotate credentials: Reset every credential stored on or used by the device. That covers local admin accounts, database credentials, KNX/gateway and integration accounts, and any credentials reused elsewhere in OT.

    2. Runbook step 2

      Mitigation layers

      • Network segmentation: Place U.motion systems in a dedicated building-automation zone, following the IEC 62443 zones-and-conduits model. Allow web UI access only from a management jump host or an admin VLAN allowlist, and default-deny everything else.
      • Egress filtering: Block outbound internet traffic from the BA zone, especially HTTP/HTTPS, TFTP, IRC and unusual high ports. This stops payload retrieval after successful command execution.
      • WAF/IPS front-end: If the device cannot be taken offline, put a reverse proxy with WAF in front of it. Drop requests whose parameters contain SQL or shell metacharacters: ', --, ;, `, $(, |, UNION SELECT. Public PoCs target /smartdomuspad/modules/reporting/track_import_export.php, so deny that path to all non-approved sources.
      • Remote access hardening: Allow vendor or integrator remote access only via MFA-protected VPN with time-boxed approval. Leave no permanently open remote ports.
      • Risk acceptance and replacement (NIS2 risk management): Record the residual risk of running an unmaintained product in the risk register, with an owner and a shutdown date. Compensating controls buy time; they do not replace migration.

    3. Runbook step 3

      Detection rules

      • Web access logs (reverse proxy/WAF): Flag requests to track_import_export.php or other /smartdomuspad/ paths that contain backticks, $(, ;, wget, curl, tftp or sh. Example in SPL: index=proxy uri_path="*track_import_export.php*" (uri_query="*%60*" OR uri_query="*wget*" OR uri_query="*curl*" OR uri_query="*%24%28*")
      • Generic SQLi patterns: Use a Sigma webserver rule scoped to BA-zone hosts, with cs-uri-query|contains on UNION, SELECT, ' OR, --, /*. Escalate hits from external or non-allowlisted source IPs.
      • Network telemetry (Zeek/Suricata): Alert on any outbound connection from U.motion IPs to external destinations. Prioritise HTTP GETs for shell scripts or ELF binaries and User-Agent: Wget. Example in Zeek: http.log where id.orig_h in BA_ZONE and not id.resp_h in RFC1918.
      • Scanning behaviour: A sudden fan-out from the BA zone to many hosts on Telnet/SSH (TCP 23/2323/22) is a strong sign of botnet-style propagation from a compromised device.
      • Device integrity: When you have system access, look for unexpected processes, cron entries or files in /tmp and /var/tmp. Diff the configuration against a known baseline on a regular schedule.

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    A SQL Injection (CWE-89) vulnerability exists in U.motion Builder software version 1.3.4 which could cause unwanted code execution when an improper set of characters is entered.

    Source: NVD (NIST), cvelistv5, CISA KEV Catalog

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
    U.motionU.motion Builder software version 1.3.4
    • U.motion Builder software version 1.3.4
    • —
    schneider-electricu.motion_builder
    • 1.3.4
    • —

    Vendors and products

    Public exploit references

    Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.

    Public exploit references
    SourceReferenceMaturityPublished
    CISA KEV CatalogCISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.govactively exploited
    Reference tagged as exploitseclists.org (opens in a new tab)PoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified—
    Packet StormSchneider Electric U.Motion Builder 1.3.4 Command Injection (opens in a new tab)packetstormsecurity.comPoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified—

    References & sources

    • packetstormsecurity.comfiles/152862/Schneider-Electric-U.Motion-Builder-1.3.4-Command-…x_refsource_MISC, Exploit, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
    • seclists.org20190514 [CVE-2018-7841] Schneider Electric U.Motion Builder <= 1.3.4 track_import_export.php object_id Unauthenticated Command InjectionMailing list, x_refsource_FULLDISC, Exploit, Mailing list, Third-party advisory
    • schneider-electric.comww/en/download/document/SEVD-2019-071-02x_refsource_CONFIRM, Vendor advisory
    • cisa.govknown-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-7841government-resource, US government resource
    Embed badge

    Show the severity and KEV status of this vulnerability on your site – with a link back here. The image is updated hourly.

    Badge preview for CVE-2018-7841
    <a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2018-7841"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2018-7841.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2018-7841 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>