CVE-2022-30700
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows a local attacker with existing low-privileged access to escalate privileges by loading a malicious DLL with incorrect permissions in Trend Micro Apex One products. It affects both on-premises Apex One and cloud-based Apex One as a Service deployments. Attackers must already have code execution capability on the target system to exploit this flaw.
💻 Affected Systems
- Trend Micro Apex One
- Trend Micro Apex One as a Service
📦 What is this software?
Apex One by Trendmicro
Apex One by Trendmicro
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with SYSTEM/administrator privileges, enabling persistence, lateral movement, data theft, and disabling of security controls.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation allowing attackers to bypass security restrictions, install malware, or access protected resources on the compromised host.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to proper access controls preventing initial low-privileged access and DLL loading restrictions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to execute low-privileged code first. DLL hijacking/loading techniques are well-understood and relatively simple to implement.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Hotfix build 11649 for 2019 versions, Hotfix build 12237 for 2020 versions
Vendor Advisory: https://success.trendmicro.com/solution/000291008
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the appropriate hotfix from Trend Micro support portal. 2. Stop Apex One services. 3. Apply the hotfix. 4. Restart the system. 5. Verify installation through Apex One console.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict DLL loading permissions
windowsConfigure Windows to restrict DLL loading from untrusted locations using application control policies
Configure AppLocker or Windows Defender Application Control policies to restrict DLL loading
Implement least privilege access
windowsEnsure users and services run with minimum necessary privileges to limit impact of initial compromise
Use Group Policy to enforce least privilege principles and service account restrictions
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized DLL loading
- Segment networks to limit lateral movement from compromised endpoints
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Apex One version in console: Settings > About. Versions below hotfix builds 11649 (2019) or 12237 (2020) are vulnerable.Check Version:
Check Apex One console or registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\TrendMicro\Apex One\CurrentVersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version shows hotfix build 11649 or higher for 2019, or 12237 or higher for 2020 in Apex One console.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual DLL loading events in Windows Security logs
- Apex One service privilege escalation attempts
- Process creation with unexpected parent-child relationships
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Apex One processes
- Lateral movement attempts from Apex One servers
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND (NewProcessName LIKE '%dll%' OR ParentProcessName LIKE '%ApexOne%') AND SubjectUserName NOT IN [trusted_users]