dbcve.org
ArenaApplication · Rockwellautomation

CVE-2025-2287

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.20.09 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 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 confidence

An uninitialized pointer vulnerability exists in Rockwell Automation Arena® software due to improper validation of user-supplied data. Exploitation occurs when a legitimate user opens a malicious DOE file, potentially allowing information disclosure and arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the running user.

MitigationUsers should avoid opening untrusted DOE files until an official vendor patch is available. Organizations should implement file extension restrictions and user training to mitigate the risk of malicious file handling.

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
ArenaApplication
Affected:< 16.20.09

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Rockwell Automation Arena is installed
    Check for Arena installation in Program Files (e.g., C:\Program Files\Rockwell Automation\Arena or C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Automation\Arena). Use Get-ItemProperty in PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Arena*'}
    Affected if Arena software is found on the system
  2. Determine installed Arena version
    Check the version of the Arena executable. Navigate to the Arena installation folder and right-click Arena.exe to view Properties > Details, or use PowerShell: Get-ChildItem 'C:\Program Files*\Rockwell Automation\Arena\Arena.exe' | ForEach-Object { $_.VersionInfo.FileVersion }
    Affected if Version is present and less than 16.20.09 (vulnerable versions are any version below 16.20.09)
  3. Verify DOE file handling capability
    Check if Arena can import or open DOE files by examining file association settings or attempting to identify DOE file support. Look for .doe extension associations in Windows registry under HKCR\.doe or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\.doe
    Affected if DOE file handling is enabled or .doe file associations exist in the system

User is affected if Arena is installed with a version below 16.20.09 and the system can open or process DOE files (the vulnerability trigger condition).

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 16.20.09 or later
Fixed in 16.20.09
Interim mitigation

Users should avoid opening untrusted DOE files until an official vendor patch is available. Organizations should implement file extension restrictions and user training to mitigate the risk of malicious file handling.

Recommended fix High confidence

Arena 16.20.09 or later

  1. Obtain Arena version 16.20.09 or later from the official Rockwell Automation website or authorized distribution channels
  2. Create a complete backup of the current Arena installation including all configuration files and data
  3. Uninstall the current version of Arena or proceed with the upgrade installation
  4. Install version 16.20.09 or later of Arena
  5. Verify the installation was successful and the application runs correctly
  6. Ensure users only open DOE files from trusted sources to mitigate the attack vector

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Arena Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $9,504.

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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-2025-2287 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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