dbcve.org
Information ExposureWeakness · CWE-200

CVE-2025-11697

HIGH · 8.9 CVSS v4.0 Published 2025-11-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
No privileges 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
A local code execution security issue exists within Studio 5000® Simulation Interface™ via the API. This vulnerability allows any Windows user on the system to extract files using path traversal sequences, resulting in execution of scripts with Administrator privileges on system reboot.

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 path traversal vulnerability in Studio 5000 Simulation Interface's API allows any local Windows user to escape directory restrictions and extract arbitrary files from the system. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation on API endpoints, enabling attackers to use '../' sequences to access protected directories. The extracted files are executed with Administrator privileges upon system reboot, providing local privilege escalation.

MitigationApply vendor patch when available; until then, restrict API access to trusted users, monitor file system activity for unusual access patterns, and consider disabling the affected service or implementing application-level input validation to reject path traversal sequences.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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. Identify Studio 5000 Simulation Interface installation
    Check the system for Studio 5000 Simulation Interface by reviewing installed programs in Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | DisplayName' in PowerShell to list installed software. Look for entries containing 'Studio 5000 Simulation Interface'.
    Affected if The software is installed on the system.
  2. Locate the API service executable
    Search for the Simulation Interface application directory, typically found under 'C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\' or 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Software\'. Identify the executable file associated with the Simulation Interface API service.
    Affected if The API executable exists and is accessible.
  3. Verify API service is running
    Open Services console (services.msc) or run 'Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Simulation*'}' in PowerShell to check if the Studio 5000 Simulation Interface service is currently running.
    Affected if The service is running and accepting API requests.
  4. Test for path traversal vulnerability
    If the API exposes HTTP or another network endpoint, attempt a GET request using path traversal sequences such as '../' or '..\' to access files outside the intended directory. For example, use a tool like curl or Invoke-WebRequest to send a request to an API endpoint appending '../../windows/win.ini'.
    Affected if The API accepts and processes path traversal sequences and returns files from outside the restricted directory.
  5. Monitor for scheduled task creation
    Review scheduled tasks on the system using 'Get-ScheduledTask | Get-ScheduledTaskInfo' or check the Task Scheduler GUI for tasks created by the Simulation Interface service that execute files upon reboot. Check the task action paths for any unexpected or newly created tasks.
    Affected if A scheduled task exists that runs extracted files with elevated privileges upon system restart.

A user is affected if Studio 5000 Simulation Interface is installed, its API service is running, and the API accepts path traversal sequences that allow accessing files outside the intended directory or creates scheduled tasks executing extracted content at reboot.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patch when available; until then, restrict API access to trusted users, monitor file system activity for unusual access patterns, and consider disabling the affected service or implementing application-level input validation to reject path traversal sequences.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-11697 — 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-2025-11697 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