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ArenaApplication · Rockwellautomation

CVE-2025-6377

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-09
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 remote code execution security issue exists in the Rockwell Automation Arena®.  A crafted DOE file can force Arena Simulation to write beyond the boundaries of an allocated object. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as opening a malicious file within the software. If exploited, a threat actor could execute arbitrary code on the target system. The software must run under the context of the administrator in order to cause worse case impact. This is reflected in the Rockwell CVSS score, as AT:P.

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

A buffer overflow vulnerability in Rockwell Automation Arena Simulation allows remote code execution via a crafted DOE file. The malicious file forces the software to write beyond the boundaries of an allocated memory object, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution if the user opens the file while Arena runs with administrator privileges.

MitigationAvoid running Arena with administrator privileges to limit impact, and refrain from opening untrusted DOE files. Apply the vendor's official patch when released.

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
    Look for Arena in the program files directory (C:\Program Files\Rockwell Automation\Arena or similar) or check for Arena in the installed programs list via Windows Settings or registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
    Affected if Arena Simulation software is present on the system
  2. Identify the installed Arena version
    Right-click the Arena executable (typically arena.exe) in the installation folder, select Properties, and view the Version tab. Alternatively, open Arena and go to Help > About to display the version number
    Affected if The version number is lower than 16.20.09 (for example, 16.20.00, 16.10.05, etc.)
  3. Verify DOE file support is available
    Open Arena and check if the File menu includes an Open option that accepts .doe file extensions, or attempt to open a DOE file through File > Open to confirm the feature is enabled
    Affected if DOE files can be opened within Arena (the vulnerability triggers when a malicious DOE file is opened)
  4. Determine if Arena is running with administrator privileges
    Open Task Manager, locate the arena.exe process, right-click and select Run as administrator, or check the process properties in the Details tab to see if it shows elevated privileges
    Affected if The Arena process is running with elevated/administrator privileges (this increases the potential impact of the vulnerability)

The environment is affected if Arena version is below 16.20.09 AND DOE file functionality is present AND the software runs with administrator privileges, allowing the crafted DOE file to execute arbitrary code with elevated permissions.

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

Avoid running Arena with administrator privileges to limit impact, and refrain from opening untrusted DOE files. Apply the vendor's official patch when released.

Recommended fix High confidence

Arena version 16.20.09 or later

  1. 1. Back up any existing Arena simulation files and configurations before upgrading.
  2. 2. Obtain the Arena version 16.20.09 or later installer from the official Rockwell Automation website or your authorized Rockwell distributor.
  3. 3. Close all running instances of Arena Simulation software.
  4. 4. Uninstall the current (vulnerable) version of Arena through the Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features.
  5. 5. Restart the system to ensure clean removal of the previous installation.
  6. 6. Run the installer for Arena version 16.20.09 or later with administrator privileges.
  7. 7. Follow the on-screen installation prompts to complete the upgrade.
  8. 8. After installation, verify the installed version by checking Help > About Arena in the application.
Caveat Review release notes for any changes to DOE file compatibility or simulation features between your current version and 16.20.09

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

Fix this in Arena Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,200
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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-2025-6377 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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