CVE-2019-13521
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 · uneditedA maliciously crafted program file opened by an unsuspecting user of Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation Software version 16.00.00 and earlier may result in the limited exposure of information related to the targeted workstation. Rockwell Automation has released version 16.00.01 of Arena Simulation Software to address the reported vulnerabilities.
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 · moderate confidenceAn information disclosure vulnerability exists in Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation Software versions 16.00.00 and earlier. When a user opens a maliciously crafted program file, the software exposes limited information related to the targeted workstation. This is a local attack requiring user interaction (opening a malicious file).
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<= 16.00.00CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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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Verify Arena Simulation Software is installedCheck for the installation in typical locations: C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\Arena\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Software\Arena\, or look for the application in Windows Programs and Features.Affected if Arena Simulation Software is present on the system
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Determine installed Arena versionRight-click the Arena executable (arena.exe) in the installation folder, select Properties, and check the Version tab. Alternatively, open Arena and go to Help > About Arena Simulation Software.Affected if The reported version is 16.00.00 or any version earlier than 16.00.00
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Confirm the executable file pathLocate arena.exe in the installation directory and note its full path for version correlation.Affected if The executable exists and version cannot be determined or shows <= 16.00.00
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Assess file handling exposureReview whether the system frequently opens .aren program files from external or untrusted sources, as the vulnerability triggers when a user opens a maliciously crafted program file.Affected if Users open .aren files from untrusted or unknown sources in Arena
The environment is affected if Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation Software version 16.00.00 or earlier is installed and users open program files in the software.
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 dataUpgrade to Arena Simulation Software version 16.00.01 or later. Avoid opening untrusted program files in the software.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-13521 — 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-2019-13521 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data