CVE-2026-16675

SYSTEM privilege escalation via installer console hijack

Published Sep 1, 2026 · Updated Sep 1, 2026

Privilege escalation in Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Activation Manager 5.02 and earlier allows local users to gain SYSTEM access. Installer custom actions expose visible console windows running as SYSTEM during installation or repair, allowing a user process to hijack a privileged command prompt. A low-privilege Windows account and access to an installation or repair session are required; successful exploitation grants control of all local files, processes, and system resources.

CVSS severity8.5
High
EPSS probability0.10%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Activation Manager 5.02 and earlier allows local users to gain SYSTEM access. Installer custom actions expose visible console windows running as SYSTEM during installation or repair, allowing a user process to hijack a privileged command prompt. A low-privilege Windows account and access to an installation or repair session are required; successful exploitation grants control of all local files, processes, and system resources.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-16675
Published
Sep 1, 2026
Updated
Sep 1, 2026
Vendor
Rockwell Automation
Product
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
Classifications
CWE-307, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 1, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 1, 2026Record 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=Version 5.02 and below

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Rockwell Automation · FactoryTalk Activation Managerversion=Version 5.02 and below

Published CVSS scores

7.8CISACVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
8.5Rockwell AutomationCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

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-307Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts
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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