Overview
A significant security vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-11918, has been discovered in Rockwell Automation Arena®. This vulnerability involves a stack-based buffer overflow that could allow local attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The vulnerability is triggered by opening a specially crafted DOE file.
Technical Details
The vulnerability lies within the parsing logic of DOE files in Rockwell Automation Arena®. Specifically, the application fails to properly validate the size of data being written to a stack-allocated buffer. This lack of validation allows a malicious DOE file to write beyond the bounds of the buffer, potentially overwriting critical program data, including return addresses. A successful exploit can redirect program execution to attacker-controlled code.
Exploiting this issue requires an attacker to convince a user to open a malicious DOE file on a system running a vulnerable version of Rockwell Automation Arena®.
CVSS Analysis
As of the publication date of this article (2025-11-15), the CVSS score for CVE-2025-11918 is currently marked as N/A by Rockwell Automation. This is often due to the advisory being relatively new. However, given the potential for arbitrary code execution, it is expected that the CVSS score will be high, likely in the Critical or High range, once assessed. The ease of local exploitation and the potential impact of code execution contribute to the severity.
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-11918 could have severe consequences, including:
- Arbitrary Code Execution: An attacker could execute arbitrary code on the affected system, potentially gaining full control.
- System Compromise: The compromised system could be used to launch further attacks on the network or steal sensitive data.
- Operational Disruption: The vulnerability could be exploited to disrupt industrial processes controlled by Rockwell Automation Arena®.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2025-11918, it is crucial to take the following steps:
- Apply the Patch: Rockwell Automation has released a security patch to address this vulnerability. It is highly recommended to apply this patch as soon as possible. Please refer to the security advisory (linked below) for download and installation instructions.
- Exercise Caution: Users should exercise extreme caution when opening DOE files, especially those received from untrusted sources.
- Implement Security Best Practices: Implement standard security best practices, such as principle of least privilege, network segmentation, and regular security audits.
- Intrusion Detection Systems: Configure intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious activity related to the exploitation of this vulnerability.
