CVE-2024-8299 is an Uncontrolled Search Path Element vulnerability (CWE-427) present in all versions of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation's GENESIS64, GENESIS32, ICONICS Suite, and MC Works64 products. These products are widely used in industrial automation and SCADA environments. The vulnerability arises because the software loads DLLs from directories that can be influenced by a local authenticated user. An attacker with local access and standard privileges can place a specially crafted DLL in a targeted folder that the software searches during execution. When the software loads this malicious DLL, the attacker gains the ability to execute arbitrary code within the context of the application. This can lead to severe consequences including unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, modification or destruction of data, and denial of service conditions that disrupt normal operations. The attack does not require user interaction beyond authentication, and the complexity is low since it exploits inherent insecure DLL search order behavior. The vulnerability affects all versions of the products, indicating a systemic issue in how DLL loading is handled. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the high CVSS score of 7.8 underscores the criticality of this flaw. The vulnerability is particularly concerning for environments where these products manage critical infrastructure or industrial processes, as successful exploitation could impact operational technology systems and cause significant business and safety risks.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-8299 can be substantial, especially those operating in sectors reliant on Mitsubishi Electric automation and SCADA systems such as manufacturing, energy, utilities, and transportation. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive operational data, manipulation or destruction of control system configurations, and disruption of industrial processes through denial of service. This could result in operational downtime, safety hazards, financial losses, and regulatory non-compliance under frameworks like NIS2 and GDPR if personal or critical data is compromised. Given the local authentication requirement, insider threats or attackers who gain initial foothold via other means could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute persistent malicious code. The ability to tamper with or destroy data also raises concerns about integrity and trustworthiness of industrial control systems, potentially impacting supply chains and critical infrastructure resilience across Europe.

1. Apply patches or updates from Mitsubishi Electric as soon as they become available to address the DLL search path vulnerability. 2. Until patches are released, restrict write permissions on directories where the software loads DLLs to prevent unauthorized DLL placement. 3. Implement application whitelisting to ensure only trusted DLLs are loaded by the affected applications. 4. Use Windows security features such as SafeDllSearchMode to enforce secure DLL loading order. 5. Monitor file system changes in relevant directories for suspicious DLL additions or modifications. 6. Enforce strict access controls and limit local user privileges to reduce the risk of unauthorized code execution. 7. Conduct regular audits of installed software versions and configurations to identify vulnerable instances. 8. Employ network segmentation to isolate industrial control systems and limit lateral movement opportunities. 9. Educate staff about the risks of local privilege misuse and enforce strong authentication mechanisms. 10. Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing potential exploitation of this vulnerability in industrial environments.