dbcve.org
Apex OneApplication · Trendmicro

CVE-2023-25145

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.0.11960 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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 link following vulnerability in the scanning function of Trend Micro Apex One agent could allow a local attacker to escalate privileges on affected installations. Please note: an attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.

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 link following (symlink) vulnerability in the Trend Micro Apex One agent's scanning function allows a local attacker with low-privileged code execution to escalate to SYSTEM privileges by manipulating the scanning process to follow symlinks to sensitive locations.

MitigationApply the vendor security patch for CVE-2023-25145 from Trend Micro to all affected Apex One agent installations; prioritize systems with broader user access.

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
Apex OneApplication
Affected:< 14.0.11960= 2019

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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. Verify Apex One agent is installed
    Check for Apex One installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\ or registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\TrendMicro\)
    Affected if Apex One agent is present on the system
  2. Identify installed Apex One version
    Check the version information in the installation directory or via program properties; compare the version number against affected ranges (< 14.0.11960 or version labeled 2019)
    Affected if Installed version is lower than 14.0.11960, or version string contains 2019
  3. Confirm scanning module is active
    Check if the real-time, scheduled, or on-demand scanning service (Trend Micro Small Business Agent, Apex One Security Agent, or related service) is running
    Affected if Scanning functionality is enabled and the service is active
  4. Review scanning target directories
    Inspect scanning configuration for user-writable directories that could be exploited for symlink placement
    Affected if Scanning targets include directories writable by low-privileged users

A system is affected if Apex One agent is installed with a version below 14.0.11960 (or the 2019 release) and the scanning feature is enabled, allowing a local low-privileged attacker to manipulate symlinks for privilege escalation.

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 14.0.11960 or later
Fixed in 14.0.11960
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor security patch for CVE-2023-25145 from Trend Micro to all affected Apex One agent installations; prioritize systems with broader user access.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apex One version 14.0.11960 or later

  1. Verify current Apex One agent version by checking the product interface or system tray icon
  2. Download the latest Apex One security patch from the Trend Micro Download Center or your licensed subscription portal
  3. Review Trend Micro's upgrade documentation for your specific deployment method (agent push, remote installation, or manual update)
  4. Create a backup of current configuration settings if applicable
  5. Deploy the upgrade to affected agents, prioritizing critical systems
  6. Verify successful installation by confirming version 14.0.11960 or later is applied
  7. Test that the Apex One scanning functionality operates normally post-upgrade
Caveat Standard upgrade precautions apply - review compatibility notes for third-party integrations and ensure adequate staging/testing before production deployment

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

Fix this in Apex One Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2023-25145 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