dbcve.org
Factorytalk AssetcentreApplication · Rockwellautomation

CVE-2021-27460

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.00 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk AssetCentre v10.00 and earlier components contain .NET remoting endpoints that deserialize untrusted data without sufficiently verifying that the resulting data will be valid. This vulnerability may allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to gain full access to the FactoryTalk AssetCentre main server and all agent machines.

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 confidence

Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk AssetCentre v10.00 and earlier contains .NET remoting endpoints that deserialize untrusted data without proper validation, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code and gain full control of the main server and all connected agent machines.

MitigationApply vendor patches or upgrade FactoryTalk AssetCentre beyond v10.00. As an interim control, disable or block .NET remoting endpoints and implement network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks.

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
Factorytalk AssetcentreApplication
Affected:<= 10.00

CVSS 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if FactoryTalk AssetCentre is installed
    Check for the installation directory at C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\FactoryTalk AssetCentre\ or look for the FactoryTalk AssetCentre service in Windows Services (services.msc). Also check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Rockwell Software\ for AssetCentre entries.
    Affected if FactoryTalk AssetCentre is found installed on the system
  2. Determine the installed version
    Check the version of the installed FactoryTalk AssetCentre. Right-click the main executable (typically FACAssetCentre.exe or similar in the installation bin folder), select Properties, and view the File Version. Alternatively, check the Windows Programs and Features list for the installed version.
    Affected if The installed version is 10.00 or earlier (any version <= 10.00)
  3. Locate .NET remoting configuration
    Examine the FactoryTalk AssetCentre installation directory for .NET remoting configuration files, typically with .config extension. Look for files containing '<system.runtime.remoting>' or references to TcpChannel, WellKnownObjectMode, or remoting ports in the configuration.
    Affected if .NET remoting configuration files exist in the installation directory with remoting endpoint definitions
  4. Identify exposed remoting ports
    Review the configuration files found in the previous step to identify the TCP ports configured for .NET remoting. Use 'netstat -an | findstr <port>' to verify if those ports are listening on network interfaces accessible from untrusted networks.
    Affected if .NET remoting ports (typically TCP) are configured and actively listening, especially on external or untrusted network interfaces

The environment is affected if FactoryTalk AssetCentre version 10.00 or earlier is installed with .NET remoting endpoints enabled and accessible on the network.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 10.00
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches or upgrade FactoryTalk AssetCentre beyond v10.00. As an interim control, disable or block .NET remoting endpoints and implement network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

FactoryTalk AssetCentre version > 10.00 (latest available version from Rockwell)

  1. 1. Navigate to the Rockwell Automation Product Compatibility and Download Center (PCDC) at https://compatibility.rockwellautomation.com/
  2. 2. Search for FactoryTalk AssetCentre
  3. 3. Download the latest version of FactoryTalk AssetCentre (version higher than 10.00)
  4. 4. Review all installation prerequisites and requirements in the release notes
  5. 5. Back up the current FactoryTalk AssetCentre database and configuration
  6. 6. Install the updated version on the main server first
  7. 7. Update all agent machines to match the new version
  8. 8. Verify the .NET remoting service is properly secured and accepting only authenticated, authorized connections
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration changes, database schema updates, or compatibility impacts with integrated Rockwell software products

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Factorytalk Assetcentre Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-27460 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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