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Apex CentralApplication · Trendmicro

CVE-2023-38624

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 post-authenticated server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in Trend Micro Apex Central 2019 (lower than build 6481) could allow an attacker to interact with internal or local services directly. Please note: an attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. This is a similar, but not identical vulnerability as CVE-2023-38625 through CVE-2023-38627.

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 post-authenticated server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in Trend Micro Apex Central 2019 allows an authenticated attacker to cause the server to make requests to internal or local services. An attacker must first obtain low-privileged code execution capabilities before exploiting this SSRF to pivot to internal infrastructure.

MitigationUpgrade Trend Micro Apex Central 2019 to build 6481 or later. Additionally, apply network segmentation and restrict internal service access to limit the impact of SSRF exploitation.

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 CentralApplication
Affected:= 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

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. Confirm Trend Micro Apex Central 2019 is installed
    Locate the Apex Central installation directory or check system services for 'Apex Central' or 'DSMain' process
    Affected if The product is not Apex Central 2019 or is a different version entirely (e.g., Apex Central 2022, Apex One)
  2. Identify the installed build version
    Access the Apex Central console and navigate to System Settings > About, or check the build information in the installation logs or registry. Compare the build number to 6481.
    Affected if The installed build number is lower than 6481 (e.g., build 6470, 6400, etc.)
  3. Verify remote authentication is enabled
    Check the Apex Central web console authentication settings under System Settings > Authentication. Determine if the console is accessible remotely versus localhost-only.
    Affected if Remote authentication is enabled and the web interface is exposed beyond localhost, allowing an attacker with low-privileged credentials to reach the vulnerable endpoint
  4. Review network exposure of the Apex Central web service
    Check firewall rules, IIS/Apache bindings, or reverse proxy configurations to determine if port 443/80 is accessible from untrusted networks
    Affected if The Apex Central web interface is directly accessible from the internet or untrusted VLANs, providing an attack surface for authenticated SSRF exploitation

You are affected if you have Apex Central 2019 installed with a build number below 6481 and the web console is remotely accessible, allowing authenticated attackers to exploit the SSRF vulnerability.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Trend Micro Apex Central 2019 to build 6481 or later. Additionally, apply network segmentation and restrict internal service access to limit the impact of SSRF exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apex Central 2019 build 6481 or later

  1. 1. Log in to the Trend Micro Apex Central management console
  2. 2. Navigate to Administration > Updates > Component List to verify current build version
  3. 3. Back up the current Apex Central configuration and database according to Trend Micro backup procedures
  4. 4. Download Apex Central 2019 build 6481 or later from the Trend Micro Download Center (success.trendmicro.com)
  5. 5. Apply the update using the Apex Central update mechanism or reinstallation with the new build
  6. 6. Verify the update was successful by checking the build version in the management console
  7. 7. Test that the application functions normally after the update
Caveat Standard update risk: backup recommended before applying any patch; ensure compatibility with existing integrations

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

Fix this in Apex Central Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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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-2023-38624 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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