Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Activation Manager Custom Actions privileges management

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability classified as very critical has been found in Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Activation Manager. This affects an unknown part of the component Custom Actions. Performing a manipulation results in privileges management. This vulnerability is identified as CVE-2026-16675. The attack is only possible with local access. There is not any exploit available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as very critical, was found in Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Activation Manager (version now known). This affects some unknown processing of the component Custom Actions. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a privileges management vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-269. The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

A privilege escalation security issue exists within FactoryTalk® Activation Manager. The security issue stems from custom actions in the installer that spawn visible console windows running with SYSTEM privileges during installation or repair operations. An authenticated attacker with Windows credentials could hijack these console windows to obtain a SYSTEM-level command prompt, allowing full access to all files, processes, and system resources.

The advisory is shared at rockwellautomation.com. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-16675 since 07/22/2026. The exploitability is told to be easy. An attack has to be approached locally. It demands that the victim is doing some kind of user interaction. Neither technical details nor an exploit are publicly available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 09/01/2026). MITRE ATT&CK project uses the attack technique T1068 for this issue.

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

• Automation Software

Vendor

• Rockwell Automation

Name

• FactoryTalk Activation Manager

License

• commercial

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CPE 2.2info

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Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

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