ArenaApplication · Rockwellautomation

CVE-2025-2293

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 a threat actor being able to write outside of the allocated memory buffer. The flaw is a 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

Rockwell Automation Arena simulation software contains a buffer overflow vulnerability where improper validation of user-supplied data in DOE files allows writing outside allocated memory buffers, enabling information disclosure and arbitrary code execution with user privileges.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patch when available; until then, enforce strict policies against opening untrusted DOE files and consider network isolation for systems running Arena.

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 Arena software is installed
    Check for Arena installation by looking in typical installation directories (C:\Program Files\Rockwell Automation\Arena or C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockwell Automation\Arena) or search for 'arena.exe' in Program Files
    Affected if Arena simulation software is present on the system
  2. Identify installed Arena version
    Right-click arena.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab for version information, or run 'arena.exe -v' from command prompt if supported
    Affected if Installed version is lower than 16.20.09 (e.g., 16.20.00, 16.10.05, etc.)
  3. Determine if DOE file functionality is in use
    Search for .doe files in user directories, check recent Arena simulation files for DOE data import features, or examine Arena installation for DOE-related modules (look for 'doe' in file names within the Arena program folder)
    Affected if DOE file import/processing feature is enabled or DOE files exist on the system
  4. Check for suspicious DOE file origins
    Review recently opened DOE files in Arena, check download folders, email attachments, or network shares where untrusted DOE files may have been introduced
    Affected if Any DOE files from untrusted or external sources have been opened with Arena

You are affected if Arena software is installed with a version lower than 16.20.09 and DOE files are processed or can be opened by users.

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

Apply vendor-supplied patch when available; until then, enforce strict policies against opening untrusted DOE files and consider network isolation for systems running Arena.

Recommended fix High confidence

Arena version 16.20.09

  1. Obtain Arena version 16.20.09 or later from the official Rockwell Automation website or through your existing licensing channel
  2. Backup any important Arena files, projects, or configurations before upgrading
  3. Uninstall the current vulnerable version of Arena
  4. Install the fixed version (16.20.09 or later) of Arena
  5. Verify the installation was successful by checking the installed version
  6. Do not open untrusted DOE files in the future - only open DOE files from trusted sources

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

Fix this in Arena Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,872.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-2293 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-2293 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