dbcve.org
CWE-428Weakness · CWE-428

CVE-2026-9128

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v4.0 Published 2026-07-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
6 weeks old

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 code execution security issue exists within Studio 5000 Logix Designer® due to an unquoted search path in the External Tools configuration. The executable paths specified in the external tools configuration file are not properly quoted, and because these paths contain spaces, the operating system may resolve them to unintended executables placed earlier in the search order. If exploited, an attacker could plant a malicious executable in a location within the search path, resulting in arbitrary code execution with the same permissions of the user running the application.

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

This is an unquoted service path vulnerability in Studio 5000 Logix Designer. The External Tools configuration file contains executable paths with spaces that are not properly quoted. When Windows executes these tools, it searches directories left-to-right through the path, potentially finding and executing malicious executables planted in earlier directories within the search path.

MitigationEnsure all executable paths in the External Tools configuration file are properly quoted, or use paths without spaces, and verify that directories in the path are not writable by unprivileged users.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
High
Privileges
Low
Authentication
X
User interaction
A
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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. Locate Studio 5000 Logix Designer installation
    Check if Studio 5000 Logix Designer is installed by looking in C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\ or C:\Program Files (x86\Rockwell Software\ for a folder named 'Studio 5000 Logix Designer' or 'RSLogix 5000'. Also check Add/Remove Programs for the product.
    Affected if Studio 5000 Logix Designer is installed on the system.
  2. Find the External Tools configuration file
    Search for configuration files related to External Tools. Common locations include the application data folder (AppData\Roaming\Rockwell\) or within the Studio 5000 installation directory under a Config or Settings subfolder. Look for XML or config files that reference external tool definitions.
    Affected if An External Tools configuration file exists on the system.
  3. Inspect executable paths for unquoted spaces
    Open the External Tools configuration file in a text editor. Search for entries containing 'Executable' or 'Path' values. Identify any paths that contain spaces and are not enclosed in quotation marks (both opening and closing quotes).
    Affected if The configuration file contains executable paths with spaces that lack proper quotation marks.
  4. Verify directory permissions on path components
    For each unquoted path identified, right-click each directory in the path hierarchy (working backward from the executable name) and check Security permissions. Determine if any directory in the path is writable by non-admin users.
    Affected if Directories within the unquoted path are writable by unprivileged users, allowing potential binary planting.

The user is affected if Studio 5000 Logix Designer is installed, an External Tools configuration file exists with unquoted paths containing spaces, and those paths traverse directories writable by non-administrative 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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Ensure all executable paths in the External Tools configuration file are properly quoted, or use paths without spaces, and verify that directories in the path are not writable by unprivileged users.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-9128 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2026-9128 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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