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What is CVE-2012-6438?A high-severity flaw in Controllogix Controllers, explained.

High severity17 affected products
The short answer

CVE-2012-6438 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.5) in Controllogix Controllers from Rockwellautomation, published on 24 January 2013. It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts its chance of use in the next 30 days at 27%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix.

Check if it affects you →How to fix it

Published 24 January 2013. Record last updated 16 June 2026. We keep this page's data up to date.

What it does

What is CVE-2012-6438? In plain terms.

It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet without logging in, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can take it offline.

The official description

The device does not properly validate the data being sent to the buffer. An attacker can send a malformed CIP packet to Port 2222/TCP, Port 2222/UDP, Port 44818/TCP, or Port 44818/UDP, which creates a buffer overflow and causes the NIC to crash. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could cause loss of availability and a disruption in communications with other connected devices.

Rockwell Automation EtherNet/IP products; 1756-ENBT, 1756-EWEB, 1768-ENBT, and 1768-EWEB communication modules; CompactLogix L32E and L35E controllers; 1788-ENBT FLEXLogix adapter; 1794-AENTR FLEX I/O EtherNet/IP adapter; ControlLogix 18 and earlier; CompactLogix 18 and earlier; GuardLogix 18 and earlier; SoftLogix 18 and earlier; CompactLogix controllers 19 and earlier; SoftLogix controllers 19 and earlier; ControlLogix controllers 20 and earlier; GuardLogix controllers 20 and earlier; and MicroLogix 1100 and 1400

What kind of flaw is it?

  • CWE-119Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
CVSS 3.1 scoreHigh · 7.5

How an attack on it works

Read straight from its severity rating, translated out of the shorthand.

  • Where an attacker can beAnywhere on the internet
  • How hard it is to pull offEasy: no special conditions
  • Login needed firstNo login needed
  • Does someone have to clickNo, nobody has to do anything
  • What an attacker getsCan take it offline

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

Exploitation

Is CVE-2012-6438 being exploited? Not that we know of.

It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 27%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

Known to be exploitedNoNot on the list of exploited flaws today
Chance of use in the next 30 days27%Its EPSS score, from the latest forecast

Timeline

  1. Published
  2. Exploit likelihood fell
  3. Exploit likelihood jumped
  4. Record last updated
How Precursor Intelligence ranks it
49out of 100Medium

CVE-2012-6438 scores 49. Action: Plan remediation.

We keep the score of every published flaw up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, and evidence that criminals are actually using it counts most. In order:

  • Evidence it is being exploitedBiggest factor
  • How severe it isStrong factor
  • How widely exposed it isSmaller factor
  • Threat activity around itSmaller factor

85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score.

When CVE-2012-6438 matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it.

See your own ranked list →
Affected products

Who is affected by CVE-2012-6438? 17 products.

The published record lists 17 products from 1 vendor. If you run one of these, check your version, then go to the fix below.

Remediation

How do I fix CVE-2012-6438? Four steps.

  1. Check whether you run itCompare your versions with the affected products above. Not sure what you run? Precursor Intelligence can work it out from your public website, or you can pick it from a list.
  2. Apply the vendor’s fixInstall the latest update from the vendor. The references list where the vendor has published details.
  3. If you can’t patch todayFollow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in.
  4. Keep an eye on itTrack the product and we tell you as soon as we spot this flaw on the list of exploited flaws, or a jump in its exploit likelihood.

References

6 links
Precursor Intelligence

Does CVE-2012-6438 affect you? We'll keep checking.

Looking flaws up one at a time doesn't scale. Tell us what you run once, and we tell you which flaws matter to you, in what order, and keep watching for new ones.

  1. Tell us what you runPick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website.
  2. We match it to every flawOver 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list.
  3. Ranked by real-world riskA 0 to 100 score, led by evidence criminals are using it.
  4. Told as soon as we knowAn alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools.
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FAQ

Common questions, answered plainly.

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CVE-2012-6438 is a high-severity flaw in Controllogix Controllers from Rockwellautomation, published on 24 January 2013. It can be attacked from anywhere on the internet without logging in, and nobody has to click anything. If it works, the attacker can take it offline.

It scores 7.5 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is high. Our risk score for CVE-2012-6438 is 49 out of 100, which is Medium. Its action is "Plan remediation". Not confirmed as exploited yet, but serious or likely enough that it should not wait for a quiet month.

It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 27%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

For Controllogix Controllers from Rockwellautomation: up to 20. The record lists 17 products in all, each with its versions, under "Who is affected" on this page.

Install the update the vendor names in its advisory. If you can't patch today, follow the vendor's mitigation and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet.

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