CVE-2025-2286
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 in its DOE file parsing logic. Improper validation of user-supplied data during DOE file processing allows a specially crafted file to trigger the uninitialized pointer, leading to information disclosure and arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user opening 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< 16.20.09CVSS 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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Identify if Rockwell Automation Arena is installedCheck for Arena installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\Arena or C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Software\Arena). Look for arena.exe in Program Files.Affected if Arena software is present on the system
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Determine installed Arena versionRight-click arena.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab for Product Version. Alternatively, open Arena and go to Help > About Arena.Affected if Version is less than 16.20.09
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Locate DOE file handling capabilityDOE files are used in Arena for Design of Experiments analysis. Check if DOE-related menu items exist (typically under Tools > DOE or similar).Affected if DOE functionality is accessible in the installed Arena version
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Verify DOE file associationCheck for .doe file association with Arena by searching for .doe files on the system, or try opening a DOE file through Arena's File > Open dialog.Affected if DOE files can be opened by Arena
If Arena is installed with version lower than 16.20.09 and DOE files can be opened, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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
Users should not open untrusted or unexpected DOE files. Apply vendor patches when released. Consider deploying application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code.
Arena 16.20.09 or later
- Identify current Arena installation version via Help > About in the application
- Download Arena version 16.20.09 or later from the Rockwell Automation website or authorized distribution channel
- Create a backup of any existing Arena project files and configuration data
- Uninstall the current version of Arena through Windows Add/Remove Programs
- Install the new Arena version 16.20.09 or later using administrator privileges
- Launch Arena and verify the version through Help > About to confirm installation
- Test that DOE files open correctly and the application functions normally
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-2286 — 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-2025-2286 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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