CVE-2018-6233 in Maximum Security 2018
Summary
by MITRE
A buffer overflow privilege escalation vulnerability in Trend Micro Maximum Security (Consumer) 2018 could allow a local attacker to escalate privileges on vulnerable installations due to a flaw within processing of IOCTL 0x222060 by the tmnciesc.sys driver. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6233 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within Trend Micro Maximum Security version 2018 consumer edition that enables local privilege escalation. This weakness resides in the tmnciesc.sys kernel driver responsible for handling IOCTL (Input/Output Control) operations, specifically the 0x222060 command. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it operates at kernel level, providing attackers with elevated privileges that can compromise the entire system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through improper input validation within the kernel driver's IOCTL handling mechanism. When the tmnciesc.sys driver receives the 0x222060 IOCTL command, it fails to adequately validate the size of incoming data structures before copying them into fixed-size buffers. This allows an attacker to craft malicious input that exceeds the allocated buffer space, causing memory corruption that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. The attack vector requires local system access, meaning an attacker must first gain low-privileged user access before attempting exploitation. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which describes privilege escalation through kernel exploits and vulnerable drivers.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to enterprise security environments where Trend Micro Maximum Security is deployed. The local privilege escalation capability means that even if attackers initially gain access through social engineering or other means, they can leverage this flaw to achieve system compromise without requiring additional authentication or elevated access rights. The impact extends beyond individual systems as compromised machines can serve as launching points for lateral movement within networks. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability affects consumer versions of Trend Micro products, making it particularly relevant for organizations that may have deployed these security solutions in environments where user access controls are less stringent.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-6233 should focus on immediate patching of affected Trend Micro Maximum Security installations, as the vendor released updates to address the buffer overflow in the tmnciesc.sys driver. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit local access points and monitor for suspicious IOCTL activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, security teams should consider disabling unnecessary kernel drivers and implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of kernel driver security and proper input validation in security software, as malicious actors can leverage legitimate security tools to gain unauthorized access. Regular security assessments of installed security solutions should include kernel driver analysis to identify similar vulnerabilities that could be exploited for privilege escalation.