CVE-2021-27473

Privilege escalation via unsanitized archive extraction paths

Published Mar 23, 2022 · Updated Apr 16, 2025

Path traversal in Rockwell Automation Connected Components Workbench 12.00.00 and earlier allows local users to gain application privileges. Its .ccwarc extraction logic writes archive entries using unsanitized embedded paths, allowing files to escape the intended extraction directory. A user must open a crafted archive; resulting file writes inherit the application's permissions and reach SYSTEM privileges when it runs as SYSTEM.

CVSS severity6.1
Medium
EPSS probability0.78%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in Rockwell Automation Connected Components Workbench 12.00.00 and earlier allows local users to gain application privileges. Its .ccwarc extraction logic writes archive entries using unsanitized embedded paths, allowing files to escape the intended extraction directory. A user must open a crafted archive; resulting file writes inherit the application's permissions and reach SYSTEM privileges when it runs as SYSTEM.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-27473
Published
Mar 23, 2022
Updated
Apr 16, 2025
Vendor
Rockwell Automation
Product
Connected Components Workbench
Classifications
CWE-22, T1204.002, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 23, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 16, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <=v12.00.00

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Rockwell Automation · Connected Components Workbenchversion=unspecified <=v12.00.00

Published CVSS scores

6.1Rockwell AutomationCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
8.2GitHub Advisory DatabaseCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
T1204.002Malicious File
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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