dbcve.org
ArenaApplication · Rockwellautomation

CVE-2024-21912

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 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 arbitrary code execution vulnerability in Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation could let a malicious user insert unauthorized code into the software. This is done by writing beyond the designated memory area, which causes an access violation. Once inside, the threat actor can run harmful code on the system. This affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the product. To trigger this, the user would unwittingly need to open a malicious file shared 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

A buffer overflow vulnerability in Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation allows arbitrary code execution through a malicious file. The attacker crafts a file that causes memory writing beyond designated boundaries, triggering an access violation that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code on the victim's system.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided patch when available. Until then, exercise extreme caution with files from untrusted sources, disable automatic file opening features, and consider running the application in a restricted environment.

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:>= 16.00.00, < 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 the presence of Rockwell Automation Arena in the system. Common installation paths: C:\Program Files\Rockwell Automation\Arena or C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Automation\Arena. Also check Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or the Applications folder (if on another OS).
    Affected if Arena Simulation software is present on the system
  2. Identify the installed Arena version
    Open Arena, then go to Help > About Arena Simulation Software. Alternatively, locate the executable (Arena.exe), right-click, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the version number.
    Affected if Unable to determine version or version information is missing
  3. Compare version against affected range
    If version is identified, verify it falls within the vulnerable range: greater than or equal to 16.00.00 AND less than 16.20.03. Versions 16.20.03 and later are not affected.
    Affected if Installed version is >= 16.00.00 and < 16.20.03
  4. Assess file handling exposure
    Determine if the system routinely opens .arena or associated simulation files from external or untrusted sources. Check for file associations registered for .aren files and whether automatic preview or opening is enabled.
    Affected if Users open files from untrusted sources or automatic file opening is enabled

The system is affected if Rockwell Automation Arena version 16.00.00 through 16.20.02 is installed and users open simulation files from external or untrusted sources.

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 16.20.03 or later
Fixed in 16.20.03
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided patch when available. Until then, exercise extreme caution with files from untrusted sources, disable automatic file opening features, and consider running the application in a restricted environment.

Recommended fix High confidence

16.20.03

  1. 1. Identify the current Arena Simulation version by checking 'Help' > 'About Arena' in the application
  2. 2. Navigate to the official Rockwell Automation website and locate the Arena Simulation download page
  3. 3. Download Arena Simulation version 16.20.03 or later from the official Rockwell Automation source
  4. 4. Create a backup of all existing Arena simulation files (.are, .arr files) and any custom configurations
  5. 5. Uninstall the current version of Arena Simulation through Windows Add/Remove Programs
  6. 6. Install the downloaded version 16.20.03 or later
  7. 7. Restore backed-up simulation files to the appropriate working directory
  8. 8. Open a known-safe simulation file to verify the installation works correctly

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

Fix this in Arena Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-21912 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-21912 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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