CVE-2025-34226 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Autonomy Logic's OpenPLC Runtime version 3.0. The vulnerability arises from improper input validation in the /upload-program-action endpoint, specifically concerning the epoch_time field supplied during program uploads. This field is not properly validated, allowing an attacker to craft a malformed input that corrupts the programs database. Once corrupted, the runtime continues to operate normally until it is restarted. Upon restart, the corrupted database entries cause the runtime to fail to start, resulting in a persistent denial of service (DoS) condition. Recovery from this state requires a complete rebase of the product, which is a time-consuming and disruptive process. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-664 (Improper Control of a Resource Through Its Lifetime) and CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation). The CVSS v4.0 base score is 7.1, indicating a high severity level. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requires low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges (PR:L) beyond limited user privileges, no user interaction (UI:N), and no confidentiality impact (VC:N), but it does have low integrity impact (VI:L) and high availability impact (VA:H). The vulnerability does not currently have known exploits in the wild but was remediated in a later commit (095ee09623dd229b64ad3a1db38a901a3772f6fc). This vulnerability is particularly critical in industrial control systems (ICS) environments where OpenPLC Runtime is deployed, as it can cause operational downtime and require significant recovery efforts.

For European organizations, especially those operating in industrial automation, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure sectors, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. OpenPLC Runtime is used to control programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that manage industrial processes. A successful exploit can lead to persistent denial of service, halting critical operations until the system is rebased. This downtime can result in production losses, safety hazards, and potential regulatory non-compliance. The lack of confidentiality impact reduces the risk of data breaches, but the integrity and availability impacts are concerning. The requirement for a system restart to trigger the failure means attackers could time their actions to cause maximum disruption. Given the increasing adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in Europe, the vulnerability could affect a wide range of manufacturing and automation environments, potentially cascading into supply chain disruptions.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Immediately apply the patch or update containing commit 095ee09623dd229b64ad3a1db38a901a3772f6fc to remediate the vulnerability. 2) Restrict access to the /upload-program-action endpoint by implementing network segmentation and firewall rules to limit exposure only to trusted management networks. 3) Employ strict input validation and sanitization at the application layer, if possible, to detect and block malformed epoch_time values before they reach the runtime. 4) Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual upload attempts or malformed requests targeting the endpoint. 5) Develop and test incident response procedures that include recovery from database corruption, ensuring rapid rebase and restoration capabilities. 6) Conduct regular backups of the programs database to enable quicker recovery without full rebase. 7) Limit user privileges to the minimum necessary to reduce the risk of unauthorized uploads. 8) Consider deploying runtime integrity monitoring tools to detect anomalies in the PLC runtime environment. These measures go beyond generic advice by focusing on access control, proactive detection, and recovery preparedness specific to this vulnerability's characteristics.