ArenaApplication · Rockwellautomation

CVE-2024-11158

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 16.20.00 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
An “uninitialized variable” code execution vulnerability exists in the Rockwell Automation Arena® that could allow a threat actor to craft a DOE file and force the software to access a variable before it being initialized. 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 uninitialized variable vulnerability in Rockwell Automation Arena® allows arbitrary code execution through crafted DOE (Design of Experiments) files. When the software processes a malicious DOE file, it accesses a variable before initialization, which can be leveraged by an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted system.

MitigationUsers should avoid opening DOE files from untrusted sources and apply vendor patches when available. Organizations should implement file integrity checks and user training to prevent execution of malicious files.

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:<= 16.20.00

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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. Confirm Rockwell Automation Arena is installed
    Check for Arena installation by looking in Program Files (C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\Arena) or checking Add/Remove Programs for 'Arena' or 'Rockwell Automation Arena'
    Affected if The software is not found, the user is not affected by this CVE
  2. Identify installed Arena version
    Open Arena, go to Help > About, or check the executable properties (right-click arena.exe > Properties > Details) for the version number
    Affected if Version is 16.20.00 or lower (the affected range is <= 16.20.00)
  3. Determine DOE file processing capability
    Check if the Arena DOE module is enabled by looking for DOE-related menus, or verify if DOE files (.doe extension) have been opened or imported in the software
    Affected if DOE functionality is actively used or DOE files are processed, the vulnerability is reachable
  4. Inspect DOE file handling configuration
    Review any custom DOE import settings or scripts in the Arena environment that handle .doe file parsing
    Affected if Custom or third-party DOE parsers are in use, the uninitialized variable flaw may be triggered

User is affected if Arena version 16.20.00 or lower is installed and DOE files from untrusted sources can be opened or processed in the software.

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 16.20.00
Interim mitigation

Users should avoid opening DOE files from untrusted sources and apply vendor patches when available. Organizations should implement file integrity checks and user training to prevent execution of malicious files.

Fix this in Arena Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2024-11158 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