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Full vulnerability report · 2012
CVE-2012-4691High confidence

Memory leak in Siemens Automation License Manager (ALM) 4.x and 5.x before 5.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via crafted packets

Unknown · Unknown

Official source article: Siemens SSA-783261 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.

3.3LowCVSS 2.0
Recommended action
Patch only the product branches with a verified fix

Low technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityLowOperational priority:Low, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • EPSS is 0.89% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Unknown Unknown and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: No default targetRemediation target: Normal maintenance

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Cross-source reconciliation

Remediation availability differs by product scope

Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
SSA-783261 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 2 · interimSiemens ProductCERTSSA-783261: Denial of Service Vulnerability in Automation License Manager (ALM) Before V5.2
1 known affected

The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.

  • Automation License Manager
Summary
Specially crafted packets sent to port 4410/tcp cause memory leaks within the application. This could allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to crash the application due to insufficient resources. This denial of service condition could prevent legitimate users from using subsequent products that rely on the affected application for license verification.
Remediation
Update to V5.2 or later version
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2012-4616

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionPatch only the product branches with a verified fix

Low technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
01

What, why and how

Memory leak in Siemens Automation License Manager (ALM) 4.x and 5.x before 5.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via crafted packets.

What

Memory leak in Siemens Automation License Manager (ALM) 4.x and 5.x before 5.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via crafted packets.

Why

The current structured CVE record identifies a security weakness, but the root cause requires confirmation in the linked vendor material.

How

An attacker operating through the affected interface may attempt exploitation when the stated preconditions are met. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

What

Memory leak in Siemens Automation License Manager (ALM) 4.x and 5.x before 5.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via crafted packets.

Why

The current structured CVE record identifies a security weakness, but the root cause requires confirmation in the linked vendor material.

How

An attacker operating through the affected interface may attempt exploitation when the stated preconditions are met. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
the affected interface → vulnerable operation → disrupt the affected service
Attack surface
Unspecified
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
Not stated in the selected CVSS metric
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Not stated in the selected CVSS metric
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-399 ↗

CWE-399. Open the MITRE definition for the exact weakness description.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
AV:A/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
UnauthenticatedDenial of serviceCWE-399
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix availability varies by product
Affected
Automation License Manager
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
Use the product-specific evidence above. Patch only products with a verified fixed release, and keep every affected or under-investigation state without a matching fix in the remediation queue.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 18 Dec 2012 · Last source change 23 May 2025, 18:26 UTC · CWE-399

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-13
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2012-4616
Product sourceVendor CSAF · Siemens ProductCERT
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · Siemens ProductCERT
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2012-4616 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2012-4616"}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  2. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Mitigation available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Mitigation available
    Siemens ProductCERT ↗
  3. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added vendor advisory: siemens.com/siemens_security_advisory_ssa-783261.pdf.
    Before
    no authoritative guidance recorded
    After
    vendor advisory: siemens.com/siemens_security_advisory_ssa-783261.pdf
    siemens.com ↗
  4. SeveritySeverity changed from Unknown to Low.
    Before
    Unknown
    After
    Low
    NIST NVD ↗
  5. CVSS scoreCVSS score changed from not recorded to 3.3 (CVSS 2.0 · NIST NVD · AV:A/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P).
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    3.3 (CVSS 2.0 · NIST NVD · AV:A/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P)
    NIST NVD ↗
  6. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Remediation guidance recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2012-4616↗Siemens ProductCERT security advisory · Siemens SSA-783261↗Vendor advisory↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2012-4691 · cve.blacktree.nl