CVE-2021-27196
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedImproper Input Validation vulnerability in Hitachi ABB Power Grids Relion 670 Series, Relion 670/650 Series, Relion 670/650/SAM600-IO, Relion 650, REB500, RTU500 Series, FOX615 (TEGO1), MSM, GMS600, PWC600 allows an attacker with access to the IEC 61850 network with knowledge of how to reproduce the attack, as well as the IP addresses of the different IEC 61850 access points (of IEDs/products), to force the device to reboot, which renders the device inoperable for approximately 60 seconds. This vulnerability affects only products with IEC 61850 interfaces. This issue affects: Hitachi ABB Power Grids Relion 670 Series 1.1; 1.2.3 versions prior to 1.2.3.20; 2.0 versions prior to 2.0.0.13; 2.1; 2.2.2 versions prior to 2.2.2.3; 2.2.3 versions prior to 2.2.3.2. Hitachi ABB Power Grids Relion 670/650 Series 2.2.0 versions prior to 2.2.0.13. Hitachi ABB Power Grids Relion 670/650/SAM600-IO 2.2.1 versions prior to 2.2.1.6. Hitachi ABB Power Grids Relion 650 1.1; 1.2; 1.3 versions prior to 1.3.0.7. Hitachi ABB Power Grids REB500 7.3; 7.4; 7.5; 7.6; 8.2; 8.3. Hitachi ABB Power Grids RTU500 Series 7.x version 7.x and prior versions; 8.x version 8.x and prior versions; 9.x version 9.x and prior versions; 10.x version 10.x and prior versions; 11.x version 11.x and prior versions; 12.x version 12.x and prior versions. Hitachi ABB Power Grids FOX615 (TEGO1) R1D02 version R1D02 and prior versions. Hitachi ABB Power Grids MSM 2.1.0 versions prior to 2.1.0. Hitachi ABB Power Grids GMS600 1.3.0 version 1.3.0 and prior versions. Hitachi ABB Power Grids PWC600 1.0 versions prior to 1.0.1.4; 1.1 versions prior to 1.1.0.1.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceImproper input validation in IEC 61850 protocol handling across multiple Hitachi ABB Power Grids device series allows remote attackers on the IEC 61850 network to send malformed packets that trigger uncontrolled device reboots, causing approximately 60 seconds of denial of service.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 1.2.3, < 1.2.3.20>= 2.0, < 2.0.0.13>= 2.2.0, < 2.2.0.13>= 2.2.1, < 2.2.1.6>= 2.2.2, < 2.2.2.3>= 2.2.3, < 2.2.3.2= 1.1= 2.1>= 1.3, < 1.3.0.7>= 2.2.0, < 2.2.0.13>= 2.2.1, < 2.2.1.6= 1.1= 1.2= 2.1>= 2.2.1, < 2.2.1.6= 7.0= 8.0= 9.0= 10.0= 11.0= 12.0>= 7.3, < 7.60.19>= 8.2, < 8.2.0.5>= 8.3, <= 8.3.1.0< r2a16< 2.1.0<= 1.3.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Hitachi Energy device modelLocate the physical device or check network inventory/sCMDB for Hitachi Energy protection relay or RTU model such as Relion 670, Relion 650, Relion Sam600 Io, Rtu500, Reb500, Fox615, Modular Switchgear Monitoring, or Gms600Affected if Device is one of these product series
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Determine the installed firmware versionAccess the device web interface, front panel display, or console and navigate to System > Information or Firmware/Version section to read the firmware build numberAffected if Firmware version matches any of the affected ranges listed in the CVE (e.g., Relion 670: 1.2.3 to 1.2.3.19, 2.0 to 2.0.0.12, etc.)
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Verify IEC 61850 protocol is enabledCheck device configuration for IEC 61850 protocol stack settings - typically under Communications > IEC 61850 or Protocol Configuration in the device management interfaceAffected if IEC 61850 protocol is configured and active on the device
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Confirm device is on the IEC 61850 networkReview network topology or device network settings to determine if the device has IEC 61850 communications enabled on any Ethernet interfaceAffected if Device participates in an IEC 61850 network segment
A user is affected if their Hitachi Energy device runs an affected firmware version listed in the CVE AND has IEC 61850 protocol enabled, as the vulnerability requires the IEC 61850 protocol stack to process incoming packets.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data1.2.3.201.3.0.72.0.0.13
Apply vendor-supplied firmware updates to all affected product versions; additionally, implement network segmentation and access controls to restrict IEC 61850 traffic to authorized endpoints only.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-27196 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-27196 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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