CVE-2023-52092
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a link following vulnerability in Trend Micro Apex One security agent that allows a local attacker to escalate privileges on affected installations. An attacker must first have low-privileged code execution capability on the target system to exploit this vulnerability. This affects organizations using Trend Micro Apex One security software.
💻 Affected Systems
- Trend Micro Apex One
📦 What is this software?
Apex One by Trendmicro
Apex One by Trendmicro
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local attacker gains SYSTEM/administrator privileges, enabling complete system compromise, data theft, persistence establishment, and lateral movement capabilities.
Likely Case
Local attacker with initial foothold elevates to administrative privileges to disable security controls, install malware, or access sensitive data.
If Mitigated
With proper endpoint security controls and least privilege principles, impact is limited to the compromised user account only.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to execute low-privileged code first; link following vulnerabilities typically involve manipulating symbolic links or junctions.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check vendor advisory for specific patched versions
Vendor Advisory: https://success.trendmicro.com/dcx/s/solution/000296151?language=en_US
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Access Trend Micro Apex One management console. 2. Check for available updates. 3. Apply the security patch provided by Trend Micro. 4. Restart affected systems as required.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local user privileges
windowsImplement least privilege principle to limit initial attack surface
Monitor for suspicious file operations
windowsEnable auditing for symbolic link/junction creation and file operations
auditpol /set /subcategory:"File System" /success:enable /failure:enable
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict application control to prevent unauthorized code execution
- Segment networks to limit lateral movement if privilege escalation occurs
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Trend Micro Apex One agent version against vendor advisory; vulnerable if running affected versions.Check Version:
Check Apex One console or agent properties for version informationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify agent version matches or exceeds patched version specified in vendor advisory.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual symbolic link/junction creation by non-admin users
- Security agent service restarts or failures
- Privilege escalation attempts in security logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from previously low-privileged accounts
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND (NewProcessName LIKE '%cmd.exe%' OR NewProcessName LIKE '%powershell.exe%') AND SubjectUserName NOT IN (admin_users) AND ParentProcessName LIKE '%Trend Micro%'