CVE-2024-21919
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 · uneditedAn uninitialized pointer in Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation software could potentially allow a malicious user to insert unauthorized code to the software by leveraging the pointer after it is properly. 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 confidenceAn uninitialized pointer vulnerability in Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation software allows code execution through a malicious file. When a user opens a crafted file, the uninitialized pointer can be leveraged by an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code on the affected system.
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 installedSearch the system for Rockwell Automation Arena executables or check installed programs list. Common installation directories include C:\Program Files\Rockwell Automation\Arena or C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwise Automation\Arena. Also check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for Arena entries.Affected if Arena Simulation software is found on the system
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Determine the installed version numberRight-click the Arena executable (typically arena.exe) in the installation folder, select Properties, and view the Version tab. Alternatively, check the Uninstall registry key for the DisplayVersion value.Affected if The version displayed is 16.00.00 or higher but lower than 16.20.03
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Compare version against the affected rangeDocument the exact version number found and verify it meets both conditions: version >= 16.00.00 AND version < 16.20.03Affected if The installed version falls within the range 16.00.00 through 16.20.02 inclusive
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Verify the file parsing component is presentConfirm the main Arena application files exist in the installation directory, particularly the executable that handles opening simulation model files (.arenafile or similar extensions).Affected if The file opening functionality is present, which is the default configuration
The environment is affected if Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation software version 16.00.00 through 16.20.02 is installed, as the vulnerability triggers when a user opens a crafted malicious file with the software.
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
Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected files shared from unverified sources. Organizations should apply any vendor-supplied patches or updates for Arena Simulation software once available.
16.20.03
- Download Arena version 16.20.03 or later from the official Rockwell Automation website at www.rockwellautomation.com
- Verify the download matches the official version by checking file hashes if provided by Rockwell
- Close any running instances of Arena software
- Install the upgraded version following standard installation procedures
- Restart the system after installation to ensure all components are properly loaded
- Validate that Arena runs without errors and test with legitimate files
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-21919 — 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-2024-21919 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data