CVE-2022-37453 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in the Softing OPC UA C++ SDK versions prior to 6.10. The vulnerability arises from improper bounds checking on arrays and matrices within structure data types, leading to either a buffer overflow or excessive memory allocation. Specifically, the SDK fails to validate the size of arrays and matrices before processing them, which can cause memory corruption. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), indicating that an attacker could write data outside the intended buffer boundaries. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 reflects a network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), and no user interaction (UI:N), with the impact limited to availability (A:H) but no confidentiality or integrity impact. Exploiting this vulnerability could allow an attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) by crashing the application or potentially triggering undefined behavior that could be leveraged for further attacks, although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The vulnerability affects the Softing OPC UA C++ SDK, a software development kit used to implement OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) clients and servers, which are widely used in industrial automation and control systems for secure and reliable data exchange. Given the critical role of OPC UA in industrial environments, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to operational continuity if exploited.

For European organizations, especially those operating in industrial sectors such as manufacturing, energy, utilities, and critical infrastructure, this vulnerability could have serious consequences. OPC UA is a standard protocol for industrial automation, and Softing is a known vendor providing SDKs for OPC UA implementations. Exploitation could lead to denial of service conditions in industrial control systems (ICS), disrupting production lines, energy distribution, or other critical processes. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact alone can cause operational downtime, financial losses, and safety risks. European industries with extensive automation and digitalization initiatives, including those aligned with Industry 4.0, are particularly at risk if they use affected versions of the Softing OPC UA SDK. Additionally, the lack of required privileges or user interaction for exploitation increases the risk profile, as attackers can remotely trigger the vulnerability without authentication. This could be leveraged by threat actors targeting European industrial environments to cause disruption or as part of a broader attack campaign.

Organizations should immediately identify any use of the Softing OPC UA C++ SDK in their environments, focusing on versions prior to 6.10. Since no patch links are provided in the information, it is critical to consult Softing's official channels for updates or patches addressing CVE-2022-37453. In the interim, organizations should implement network-level protections such as restricting access to OPC UA servers and clients to trusted networks and IP addresses only, employing firewalls and segmentation to isolate industrial networks from general IT networks and the internet. Monitoring OPC UA traffic for anomalies and unusual patterns can help detect exploitation attempts. Additionally, applying runtime protections such as memory safety tools or sandboxing OPC UA applications may mitigate exploitation risks. Organizations should also review and harden OPC UA configurations, disabling unnecessary services or features that could be exploited. Finally, maintaining an incident response plan tailored to industrial control system disruptions will help minimize impact if exploitation occurs.