CVE-2023-27858
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 · uneditedRockwell Automation Arena Simulation contains an arbitrary code execution vulnerability that could potentially allow a malicious user to commit unauthorized code to the software by using an uninitialized pointer in the application. 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 an uninitialized pointer vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution. An attacker can craft a malicious file that, when opened by a user, triggers the uninitialized pointer dereference, enabling the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system with the privileges of the current user.
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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Confirm Arena Simulation is installedCheck for Arena Simulation installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\Arena or C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Software\Arena). Also check Windows Programs and Features for 'Rockwell Automation Arena'.Affected if Arena Simulation software is present on the system
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Identify installed Arena versionOpen the Arena application and navigate to Help > About Arena, or check the version in the program's executable properties (right-click arena.exe > Properties > Details tab). The version may also be listed in Windows Programs and Features.Affected if Version information cannot be obtained or shows a version number
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Compare version against vulnerability rangeIf version is identified, compare the full version number to 16.20.02. Note that versions below 16.20.02 (such as 16.10.00, 16.00.00, 15.x.x, etc.) are affected.Affected if Installed version is below 16.20.02 (e.g., 16.20.00, 16.10.00, 15.x.x)
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Check for vendor updates or patchesReview Rockwell Automation's official support website or the installed product's update check feature for any installed patches that may address CVE-2023-27858.Affected if No vendor patch specifically addressing this CVE has been applied
The environment is affected if Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation is installed with any version prior to 16.20.02, as these versions contain the uninitialized pointer vulnerability that can be triggered by opening a malicious file.
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
Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected files until Rockwell releases an official patch. Organizations should apply the vendor's security update when available and implement least-privilege user accounts to limit impact.
16.20.02
- Obtain Arena version 16.20.02 or later from the official Rockwell Automation download portal
- Verify the current installed version of Arena by checking Help > About Arena
- Download the updated Arena version (16.20.02 or newer) from rockwellautomation.custhelp.com or your Rockwell Automation account
- Close any running instances of Arena
- Run the installer for the new version and follow the prompted upgrade procedure
- After installation, verify the version number matches 16.20.02 or later in Help > About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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-2023-27858 — 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-2023-27858 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
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