Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency says a popular gas station software contains several security vulnerabilities that require “low skill” to exploit.
The advisory, posted by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), gave the Orpak SiteOmat software a rare vulnerability severity rating of 9.8 out of 10.
Orpak’s SiteOmat systems monitor the amount of fuel stored in a gas station’s tanks, as well as their temperature and pressure. The software also sets the price of the gas and processes card payments. Its user interface is password protected, preventing unauthorized access to its data or configuration.
According to the advisory, the software contained a hardcoded password set by the manufacturer, which if used would grant unfettered access to the system.
CISA didn’t publish the password.
The advisory said an attacker could gain access to the system’s configuration, including payment information, or shut down the system altogether, preventing customers from buying gas. Worse, the bugs are remotely exploitable, putting any internet-connected SiteOmat device at risk.
A cursory search of Shodan, a search engine for publicly available devices and databases, revealed more than 570 Orpak systems are connected to the internet out of more than 35,000 service stations across 60 countries.
Most of the exposed systems are located in the U.S.
The software also has several other flaws that can be remotely exploited, including code injection and buffer overflow vulnerabilities.
Ido Naor, a security researcher with Kaspersky Lab, was credited with finding the bugs — the second time in as many years. Last year, Naor and his colleague Amihai Neiderman found near-identical flaws in the SiteOmat, including another hardcoded password. The buffer overflow flaw would not only let an attacker gain access to the system but also erase its logs, wiping any evidence of their activity.
CISA said the bugs had been fixed in a new software version — v6.4.414.139 — but customers have to request the update from Orpak directly.
A spokesperson for Orpak parent company Gilbarco Veeder-Root did not immediately return a request for comment.
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