ArenaApplication · Rockwellautomation

CVE-2024-11156

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 16.20.03 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
An “out of bounds write” code execution vulnerability exists in the Rockwell Automation Arena® that could allow a threat actor to write beyond the boundaries of allocated memory in a DOE file. If exploited, a threat actor could leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code. To exploit this vulnerability, a legitimate user must execute the malicious code crafted by the threat actor.

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

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Rockwell Automation Arena® simulation software allows a threat actor to write beyond the boundaries of allocated memory when processing a maliciously crafted DOE (Design of Experiments) file. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution on the targeted system, requiring a legitimate user to open the crafted file.

MitigationOrganizations should avoid opening untrusted DOE files in Arena®, apply available security patches from Rockwell Automation promptly, and implement user training on the risks of opening files from untrusted sources.

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
ArenaApplication
Affected:<= 16.20.03

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
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 checks

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

  1. Verify Arena is installed
    Check for Rockwell Automation Arena installation on the system, typically found in Program Files or Program Files (x86) directories under Rockwell Software or similar locations.
    Affected if Arena simulation software is present on the system.
  2. Determine installed Arena version
    Locate Arena in the installed programs list or check the executable properties (right-click the Arena .exe file, select Properties, view Version tab) to find the exact version number.
    Affected if The installed version is 16.20.03 or any earlier version (anything <= 16.20.03).
  3. Check for DOE file processing capability
    Verify whether the Arena installation includes DOE (Design of Experiments) functionality, typically accessible through the Arena menus or documentation.
    Affected if DOE feature is available or has been used in the installation.
  4. Inspect for recently opened DOE files
    Review recent file access logs, Windows prefetch, or the application's recent files list for any DOE files that may have been opened.
    Affected if A potentially malicious DOE file has been opened by a legitimate user.

A user is affected if Arena version 16.20.03 or earlier is installed and a crafted DOE file has been opened, enabling arbitrary code execution.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 16.20.03
Interim mitigation

Organizations should avoid opening untrusted DOE files in Arena®, apply available security patches from Rockwell Automation promptly, and implement user training on the risks of opening files from untrusted sources.

Fix this in Arena Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-11156 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-11156 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