VulnerabilityPublished 7 Jan 2025Updated 9 Jan 2025

CVE-2024-46602: Elspec G5 digital fault recorder · XML External Entity (XXE)

Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 53% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 7 Jan 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

Monitor Elspec communications and vendor channels for official patches or firmware updates addressing CVE-2024-46602 and apply them promptly once available.
Implement network segmentation to isolate Elspec G5 devices from untrusted or public networks, limiting exposure to remote attackers.
Deploy Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) capable of detecting and blocking malicious XML payloads containing external entity references.
Configure XML parsers on affected devices or intermediary systems to disable external entity processing if configurable.
Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on industrial control system components to identify similar XML parsing weaknesses.
Establish strict input validation and filtering for XML data received by the devices to prevent malicious payloads from reaching the parser.
Maintain comprehensive logging and monitoring of device behavior to detect anomalous crashes or resource exhaustion indicative of exploitation attempts.
Develop incident response plans specific to industrial control system disruptions to minimize downtime and coordinate rapid recovery.

Description

An issue was discovered in Elspec G5 digital fault recorder version 1.2.1.12 and earlier. An XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability may allow an attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via a crafted XML payload.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-46602 is a Denial of Service condition on Elspec G5 digital fault recorders, which are integral to electrical grid fault detection and analysis. Disruption of these devices can delay fault identification and response, potentially leading to prolonged outages or grid instability. Organizations operating critical infrastructure, such as utilities and grid operators, face operational risks including reduced situational awareness and slower incident response. The vulnerability does not expose sensitive data or allow unauthorized control, but the loss of availability in a critical monitoring device can have cascading effects on power system reliability and safety. Since exploitation requires no authentication and can be performed remotely, attackers can easily target vulnerable devices exposed to untrusted networks. The lack of known exploits in the wild suggests limited current exploitation, but the high CVSS score indicates a significant threat if weaponized. The impact is especially severe in regions with widespread deployment of Elspec devices or similar grid monitoring equipment, where power infrastructure is a strategic asset.

CWE-611Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A02:2025: Security Misconfiguration (opens in a new tab)
The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.
Implementation · System Configuration
Many XML parsers and validators can be configured to disable external entity expansion.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Deserialization (opens in a new tab)
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
XML External Entity Prevention (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V5.5.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Data Serialization External Entities Blowup (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

elspec-ltd.com/support/security-advisories. (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 28 Feb 2026, 07:26 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-611

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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