CVE-2020-27695
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Trend Micro Security 2020 allows attackers to escalate privileges by placing a malicious DLL in a local directory during installation. It affects consumers using the vulnerable installer package, potentially granting administrative access to the system.
💻 Affected Systems
- Trend Micro Security 2020 (Consumer)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with administrative privileges, allowing installation of persistent malware, data theft, or complete system control.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation enabling attackers to bypass security controls, install additional malware, or access protected system resources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper installation controls and user awareness, potentially preventing DLL hijacking through secure installation practices.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access to place DLL and timing during installation. No public exploit code available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patched in updated installer packages
Vendor Advisory: https://helpcenter.trendmicro.com/en-us/article/TMKA-10036
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Download latest installer from Trend Micro website. 2. Uninstall existing version if installed. 3. Install using updated installer package. 4. Verify installation completed successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Secure Installation Environment
windowsInstall software from clean, controlled directories to prevent DLL hijacking
User Account Control
windowsEnsure UAC is enabled and install with standard user accounts when possible
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Install software only from trusted, clean directories with no write access for standard users
- Monitor for suspicious DLL files in installation directories and system DLL search paths
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if using Trend Micro Security 2020 installer version before the fix. Review installation logs for DLL loading from unexpected locations.Check Version:
Check Trend Micro Security interface for version information or review installed programs in Windows Control PanelVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installation was performed with updated installer from official Trend Micro sources. Check product version matches latest patched release.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- DLL loading from unexpected directories during installation
- Installation process spawning with elevated privileges unexpectedly
Network Indicators:
- No network indicators - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
Process creation events where parent process is Trend Micro installer loading DLLs from non-standard paths