dbcve.org
Apex CentralApplication · Trendmicro

CVE-2023-52328

MEDIUM · 6.1 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 →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
Certain dashboard widgets on Trend Micro Apex Central (on-premise) are vulnerable to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks that may allow an attacker to achieve remote code execution on affected servers. Please note this vulnerability is similar, but not identical to CVE-2023-52329.

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 · moderate confidence

Trend Micro Apex Central on-premise contains stored XSS vulnerabilities in certain dashboard widgets. Attackers can inject malicious scripts through these widgets, which execute when viewed by other users. While XSS is typically client-side, the description indicates this can be chained to achieve remote code execution on affected servers.

MitigationApply vendor patches from Trend Micro for Apex Central. Additionally, implement output encoding and input validation on dashboard widget rendering as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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 installation
    Identify if Trend Micro Apex Central is installed on the system by checking for the product service, installation directory, or administrative console access
    Affected if Apex Central is installed on the system
  2. Check installed Apex Central version
    Access the product console or check system information to determine the exact version number installed
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 2019 (builds within the 2019 release line)
  3. Verify dashboard widget functionality is enabled
    Log into the Apex Central console and navigate to the dashboard section to confirm widgets can be created, edited, or viewed
    Affected if Dashboard widgets feature is accessible and functional
  4. Inspect widget configuration for suspicious content
    Review the widget configuration settings or database entries for any unexpected script tags, event handlers, or encoded payloads in widget names, descriptions, or data fields
    Affected if Stored script tags or HTML/JavaScript elements are found in widget configurations that are not user-encoded
  5. Review access logs for XSS attack patterns
    Examine Apex Central logs for unusual patterns in widget-related requests, such as <script>, javascript:, onerror=, or other XSS vectors in parameters targeting dashboard widget endpoints
    Affected if Logs show injection attempts or stored payloads in widget-related parameters

If Trend Micro Apex Central version 2019 is installed and dashboard widgets are accessible, the environment is likely affected by this stored XSS 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

Apply vendor patches from Trend Micro for Apex Central. Additionally, implement output encoding and input validation on dashboard widget rendering as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apex Central 2019 with latest hotfix/service pack (contact Trend Micro for specific build number)

  1. Check the current version of Apex Central by navigating to Administration > Settings > Product Information
  2. Access the Trend Micro Security Advisory portal at success.trendmicro.com or search for the security bulletin related to CVE-2023-52328
  3. Download and apply the latest hotfix or service pack for Apex Central 2019 as specified in the security advisory
  4. After applying the patch, verify the fix by checking the product version again
  5. Test the dashboard widgets that were vulnerable to ensure XSS protection is working
  6. Review other similar dashboard widgets as CVE-2023-52329 was also noted as similar
Caveat Standard testing recommended after applying hotfix to ensure existing functionality is not affected

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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2023-52328 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