CVE-2024-21913
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 · uneditedA heap-based memory buffer overflow vulnerability in Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation software could potentially allow a malicious user to insert unauthorized code into the software by overstepping the memory boundaries, which triggers 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 · high confidenceA heap-based buffer overflow in Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation Software allows an attacker to overflow memory boundaries by tricking a user into opening a malicious file, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user who opened the file.
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>= 16.00.00, < 16.20.03CVSS 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 Software is installedCheck for the application in Windows Program Files (typically C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\Arena) or look for 'Arena' in Add or Remove ProgramsAffected if Arena Simulation Software is present on the system
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Identify installed Arena versionLocate the Arena executable (arena.exe), right-click and select Properties, then check the Details tab for the Product Version. Alternatively, check the version listed in Add or Remove Programs for Arena.Affected if Version cannot be determined or is not visible
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Compare version against affected rangeIf version is found, compare it to the affected range: versions >= 16.00.00 and < 16.20.03 are vulnerable. For example, versions 16.00.00 through 16.20.02 are affected.Affected if Installed version falls within >= 16.00.00 and < 16.20.03
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Verify file handling behaviorReview current file handling policies and user awareness around opening untrusted .aren or related simulation files, as the exploit requires a user to open a malicious file.Affected if Users routinely open Arena files from untrusted or unknown sources without verification
The environment is affected if Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation Software version 16.00.00 through 16.20.02 (inclusive) is installed, since the vulnerability requires a user to open a malicious file to trigger the heap-based buffer overflow.
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 · scoped16.20.03
Apply vendor-supplied patches when available; until then, enforce strict file handling policies, warn users about untrusted files, and consider endpoint detection tools to identify malicious file behaviors.
Arena 16.20.03 or later
- Obtain Arena version 16.20.03 or later from the official Rockwell Automation website or authorized distribution channels
- Backup all existing Arena simulation files, models, and configuration data
- Uninstall the current vulnerable version of Arena (versions 16.00.00 through 16.20.02)
- Install the patched version 16.20.03 or later
- Verify the installation was successful by launching Arena and confirming the version number
- Restore backed-up simulation files and validate they load correctly
- Apply standard least-privilege principles: ensure only trusted files are opened and exercise caution with files from untrusted sources
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-21913 — 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-2024-21913 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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