CVE-2024-23765 identifies a denial-of-service vulnerability in the HMS Anybus X-Gateway AB7832-F 3 devices. The gateway exposes an unidentified network service on TCP port 7412. When this service receives 85 requests, regardless of the request content or length, it causes the gateway's network services to become unresponsive. This effectively results in a denial-of-service condition, as the device stops responding to network communications until it is manually restarted. The vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, but an attacker must have local network access to send the requests. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 4.0, reflecting a medium severity due to the limited impact on confidentiality and integrity but a clear impact on availability. No patches or fixes are currently linked, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild. The vulnerability likely stems from resource exhaustion or a flaw in the handling of requests on port 7412, which is an undocumented or proprietary service. This gateway is commonly used in industrial automation and control systems to connect different network protocols, making availability critical for operational continuity.

The primary impact of this vulnerability is a denial of service affecting the availability of the HMS Anybus X-Gateway AB7832-F 3 devices. Since these gateways are used to bridge industrial networks and protocols, their unavailability can disrupt communication between control systems, sensors, and actuators. This can lead to operational downtime, loss of monitoring and control capabilities, and potential safety risks in industrial environments. Although confidentiality and integrity are not affected, the loss of availability can have significant operational and financial consequences, especially in critical infrastructure, manufacturing plants, and industrial automation sectors. The requirement for a manual restart to recover increases downtime and operational burden. Organizations relying on these gateways without redundancy or automated recovery mechanisms are particularly vulnerable to sustained disruptions.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should implement network segmentation to restrict access to the Anybus gateway's port 7412 service only to trusted devices and administrators. Monitoring network traffic for unusual or repeated requests to port 7412 can help detect attempted exploitation. Where possible, configure automated health checks and restart mechanisms for the gateway to minimize downtime in case of service unresponsiveness. Engage with HMS to obtain firmware updates or patches once available. Additionally, consider deploying redundant gateways or failover mechanisms to maintain operational continuity if one device becomes unresponsive. Document and train operational staff on manual restart procedures and incident response plans related to gateway outages. Finally, review and harden network access controls and firewall rules to limit exposure of the gateway's management and service ports.