CVE-2023-27854
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 · uneditedAn arbitrary code execution vulnerability was reported to Rockwell Automation in Arena Simulation that could potentially allow a malicious user to commit unauthorized arbitrary code to the software by using a memory buffer overflow. The threat-actor could then execute malicious code on the system affecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the product. The user would need to open a malicious file provided to them by the attacker for the code to execute.
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 confidenceRockwell Automation Arena Simulation contains a buffer overflow vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution. An attacker must deliver a malicious file to a user who must open it in the software for the exploit to trigger, leading to potential compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
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< 16.20.02CVSS 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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Identify installed Arena Simulation versionCheck the application version via Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Rockwell Automation\Arena or by right-clicking the Arena executable (usually in C:\Program Files\Rockwell Automation\Arena) and selecting Properties > Details to view the File VersionAffected if The installed version is any version prior to 16.20.02 (the version number shown is less than 16.20.02)
Users are affected if they have any version of Arena Simulation installed that is earlier than version 16.20.02
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.
dbcve · scoped16.20.02
Apply the vendor-provided patch or update to Arena Simulation when available. Until then, enforce strict controls on file sources and avoid opening untrusted or unexpected files within the application.
Arena version 16.20.02 or later
- Upgrade Arena Simulation software to version 16.20.02 or later to remediate the vulnerability
- Obtain the updated version from the official Rockwell Automation download portal or support channels
- After upgrading, verify the installed version matches the fixed release
- Exercise caution when opening files from untrusted sources, as the attack vector requires user interaction with a malicious file
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27854 — 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-2023-27854 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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