CVE-2025-2285
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 local code execution vulnerability exists in the Rockwell Automation Arena® due to an uninitialized pointer. The flaw is result of improper validation of user-supplied data. If exploited a threat actor can disclose information and execute arbitrary code on the system. To exploit the vulnerability a legitimate user must open a malicious DOE file.
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 confidenceRockwell Automation Arena contains an uninitialized pointer vulnerability caused by improper validation of user-supplied data. A legitimate user must open a malicious DOE file to trigger the vulnerability, which can then allow information disclosure and arbitrary code execution 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< 16.20.09CVSS 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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Determine installed Arena versionOpen Arena and navigate to Help > About, or check Windows Programs and Features for the Rockwell Automation Arena entry to locate the installed version numberAffected if The displayed version is below 16.20.09
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Confirm DOE file handling is usedSearch for .doe files on local systems or network shares, or review recent Arena simulation projects to see if DOE (Design of Experiments) files are opened or importedAffected if DOE files are present or routinely opened in the Arena environment
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Check user access to file import featureWithin Arena, verify that the File > Open or File > Import menu options include DOE file types, which would allow a user to trigger the vulnerabilityAffected if Users have permission to open or import DOE files through the Arena interface
You are affected if Arena version is below 16.20.09 AND your environment permits users to open or import DOE files.
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 · scoped16.20.09
Apply the vendor patch from Rockwell Automation when available. Until then, warn users not to open untrusted DOE files and consider restricting Arena execution to sandboxed environments.
Arena version 16.20.09 or later
- 1. Close any running instances of Arena software
- 2. Backup your current Arena project files and settings
- 3. Navigate to the Rockwell Automation website at www.rockwellautomation.com
- 4. Locate and download Arena version 16.20.09 or later from the software downloads section
- 5. Run the installer with administrator privileges
- 6. Follow the installation wizard prompts to complete the upgrade
- 7. After installation, verify the version by checking Help > About Arena
- 8. Reopen your DOE files in the updated software
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-2285 — 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-2025-2285 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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