CVE-2025-11918
📋 TL;DR
Rockwell Automation Arena® has a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in DOE file parsing. Local attackers can exploit this by opening malicious DOE files to potentially execute arbitrary code. This affects Arena® installations where users open untrusted DOE files.
💻 Affected Systems
- Rockwell Automation Arena®
📦 What is this software?
Arena by Rockwellautomation
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control of the Arena® host system, potentially leading to data theft, system manipulation, or lateral movement.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution within the context of the Arena® user, potentially leading to data exfiltration or system disruption.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to proper file handling controls and user awareness preventing malicious DOE file execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and user interaction (opening malicious DOE file). No public exploit code identified from provided reference.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check vendor advisory for specific patched versions
Vendor Advisory: https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/trust-center/security-advisories/advisory.SD1763.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review vendor advisory SD1763. 2. Download and apply the latest Arena® patch from Rockwell Automation. 3. Restart affected systems. 4. Verify patch installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict DOE file handling
windowsBlock or restrict DOE file execution through application whitelisting or file extension blocking
User awareness training
allTrain users to avoid opening DOE files from untrusted sources
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized DOE file execution
- Restrict user permissions to limit potential damage from successful exploitation
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Arena® version against vendor advisory; if running affected version and DOE file parsing is enabled, system is vulnerableCheck Version:
Check Arena® About dialog or installation properties for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Arena® version is updated to patched version specified in vendor advisory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process creation from Arena®
- Multiple DOE file parsing errors
- Crash reports from Arena®
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Arena® process
SIEM Query:
Process creation events where parent process is Arena® and command line contains unusual parameters