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AgentApplication · Trellix

CVE-2023-0975

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.7.8 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A vulnerability exists in Trellix Agent for Windows version 5.7.8 and earlier, that allows local users, during install/upgrade workflow, to replace one of the Agent’s executables before it can be executed. This allows the user to elevate their permissions.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A time-of-check-time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in Trellix Agent for Windows versions 5.7.8 and earlier allows local authenticated users to replace executable files during the installation or upgrade workflow before those executables are launched, enabling privilege escalation from standard user to SYSTEM-level access.

MitigationUpgrade Trellix Agent to version 5.7.9 or later. As a temporary control, restrict write access to the agent installation directory during active upgrade operations and monitor for suspicious file modifications in Program Files directories.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AgentApplication
Affected:<= 5.7.8

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Trellix Agent version
    Open Programs and Features in Control Panel and locate 'Trellix Agent' or use the command 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\McAfee\Agent" /v Version' to query the registry for the installed version number
    Affected if The displayed version is 5.7.8 or earlier
  2. Locate Trellix Agent installation directory
    Check the registry key 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\McAfee\Agent' for the 'InstallDir' value, or look in Program Files or Program Files (x86) for a folder named 'Trellix'
    Affected if The installation directory exists on the system
  3. Verify write permissions on the agent directory
    Right-click the Trellix Agent installation folder, select Properties, go to the Security tab, and examine which users and groups have Write or Modify permissions
    Affected if Standard users or authenticated users have Write permissions to the installation directory
  4. Check for recent installation or upgrade activity
    Review Windows Event Viewer logs under Windows Logs > Application and System for MSI installer events related to Trellix Agent, or check the Windows Temp folder for recent Trellix installer files
    Affected if Installation or upgrade operations have recently completed or are in progress

A system is affected if Trellix Agent version 5.7.8 or earlier is installed AND standard users have write access to the agent installation directory, especially during or around upgrade operations.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.7.8
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Trellix Agent to version 5.7.9 or later. As a temporary control, restrict write access to the agent installation directory during active upgrade operations and monitor for suspicious file modifications in Program Files directories.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Trellix Agent version 5.7.9 or later (any version higher than 5.7.8)

  1. Verify the current Trellix Agent version installed on the system
  2. Download the latest version of Trellix Agent from the official Trellix download portal or through your Trellix enterprise console
  3. Plan the upgrade during a maintenance window to minimize business impact
  4. Run the Trellix Agent installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  5. Confirm the upgrade completes successfully and the new version is reflected in the agent status
  6. Verify that the vulnerable executables have been replaced with the updated versions
Caveat Standard upgrade considerations apply - test in non-production environment first, ensure compatibility with your Trellix ePolicy Orchestrator or management console

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Agent Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-0975 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data