Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a critical remote code execution flaw in Allen-Bradley MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 controllers. If an affected controller is reachable over a network, an unauthenticated attacker could potentially take control of the device. For industrial environments, this could affect process integrity, availability, and safety-related operations.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for OT environments using these controllers. Prioritize reachable or mission-critical devices first. If affected controllers are isolated and tightly controlled, urgency may be reduced, but remediation planning and exposure validation should still proceed promptly.
Technical view
CVE-2015-6490 is a stack-based buffer overflow affecting MicroLogix 1100 devices before B FRN 15.000 and MicroLogix 1400 devices through B FRN 15.003. The CVSS 3.1 score is 9.8, with network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, and no user interaction required. The public description does not specify the exact attack vector.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where affected MicroLogix controllers are connected to plant networks, engineering networks, remote access paths, or unintentionally reachable segments. Internet exposure would significantly increase risk, but the provided sources do not state observed exposure levels.
Exploitation context
The provided data does not indicate known active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. Risk remains high because the issue is remotely reachable, unauthenticated, and may allow arbitrary code execution if the device is accessible.
Researcher notes
Public details are limited: the vector is described only as unspecified, so do not assume a protocol, endpoint, or payload. The strongest supported facts are affected model/FRN ranges, stack buffer overflow class, remote unauthenticated impact, and the referenced ICS advisory.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 controllers and record FRN versions.
- Upgrade or replace devices outside affected version ranges per vendor guidance.
- Restrict controller access to trusted engineering and operations networks only.
- Block unnecessary inbound paths to affected controllers.
- Review the referenced ICS advisory for product-specific mitigations.
Validation and detection
- Confirm device model and FRN version from asset records or management tools.
- Compare versions against the affected ranges in the CVE description.
- Verify controllers are not reachable from untrusted or remote networks.
- Check firewall and segmentation rules protecting controller networks.
- Document compensating controls where firmware updates are not immediately possible.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-121: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2015-6490 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/advisories/ICSA-15-300-03CVE reference, icscert · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Stack-based Buffer Overflow
Stack-based Buffer Overflow represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.