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Studio 5000 Logix EmulateApplication · Rockwellautomation

CVE-2022-3156

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 34.00 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Emulate software.  Users are granted elevated permissions on certain product services when the software is installed. Due to this misconfiguration, a malicious user could potentially achieve remote code execution on the targeted software.

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 confidence

This is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Rockwell Automation Studio 5000 Logix Emulate where the software grants users elevated permissions on certain product services during installation. This misconfiguration allows a malicious user to potentially achieve remote code execution on the targeted system.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches or correct the permission misconfiguration to remove excessive privileges granted during installation. Restrict elevated service permissions to only necessary administrative users.

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
Studio 5000 Logix EmulateApplication
Affected:>= 20.011, < 34.00

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 the installed version of Studio 5000 Logix Emulate
    Open Windows Control Panel, go to Programs and Features, and locate 'Studio 5000 Logix Emulate' in the list of installed software. Note the version number displayed.
    Affected if The installed version is greater than or equal to 20.011 AND less than 34.00.
  2. Confirm the Logix Emulate application is present
    Check for the Studio 5000 Logix Emulate installation directory, typically found under C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Software\. Verify the Logix Emulate executable exists.
    Affected if The application is installed and the version falls within the affected range.
  3. Review Windows service permissions for Logix Emulate services
    Open Services (services.msc), locate any services related to 'Logix Emulate' or 'RSLinx' that the application uses. Right-click each service, go to Properties, then the Log On tab, and examine whether the service runs with elevated privileges (such as Local System or a domain admin account).
    Affected if Any Logix Emulate service is configured to run with excessive privileges such as Local System account or a privileged domain user.
  4. Inspect file system permissions on the Logix Emulate program directory
    Right-click the Logix Emulate installation folder, select Properties, then go to the Security tab. Check which users or groups have Write or Full Control permissions on the folder and its executables.
    Affected if Non-administrative users have Write or Full Control permissions to the Logix Emulate program directory or its executables.

You are affected if Studio 5000 Logix Emulate version 20.011 through 33.x is installed AND non-privileged users have been granted elevated permissions on the services, executables, or program directory.

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 34.00 or later
Fixed in 34.00
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided patches or correct the permission misconfiguration to remove excessive privileges granted during installation. Restrict elevated service permissions to only necessary administrative users.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Studio 5000 Logix Emulate version 34.00 or later

  1. 1. Back up all Studio 5000 Logix Emulate projects and configuration data before performing the upgrade.
  2. 2. Uninstall the current version of Studio 5000 Logix Emulate (versions 20.011 through 33.x).
  3. 3. Download Studio 5000 Logix Emulate version 34.00 or later from the Rockwell Automation Product Compatibility and Download Center (PCDC) at rockwellautomation.custhelp.com.
  4. 4. Install the new version following the standard installation procedures.
  5. 5. Verify that the installed version is 34.00 or higher by checking 'About' or the installed programs list.
  6. 6. Test critical functionality to ensure proper operation after the upgrade.
  7. 7. Review any new security settings or configurations introduced in version 34.00.
Caveat Review release notes for version 34.00 for any changes in functionality, compatibility, or system requirements that may affect existing projects

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

Fix this in Studio 5000 Logix Emulate Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
26.0 hours of engineering $4,560
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,296.

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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-2022-3156 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