CVE-2023-47199 in Apex One
Summary
by MITRE • 01/24/2024
An origin validation vulnerability in the Trend Micro Apex One security 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.
This vulnerability is similar to, but not identical to, CVE-2023-47193.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/24/2024
The vulnerability under discussion represents a critical origin validation flaw within the Trend Micro Apex One security agent that enables local privilege escalation when exploited by an attacker who has already gained low-privileged execution capabilities on the target system. This weakness resides in the agent's failure to properly verify the legitimate source of executed code, creating a pathway for malicious actors to elevate their privileges from standard user level to administrative rights. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with common software security flaws where input validation mechanisms are insufficiently implemented or bypassed.
The technical implementation of this flaw likely involves improper verification of code origins within the Apex One agent's execution environment. When legitimate security processes attempt to execute code or modules, the system should validate that these operations originate from trusted sources within the security framework. However, the vulnerability allows an attacker who has already compromised a low-privileged account to manipulate this validation process, potentially by exploiting weaknesses in code signing verification, path traversal mechanisms, or module loading procedures. This weakness is classified under CWE-22 as improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, or CWE-276 as incorrect permissions for critical resources, depending on the specific implementation details of the origin validation mechanism.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it represents a significant foothold for attackers within enterprise environments where Trend Micro Apex One is deployed. Security agents that operate with elevated privileges are particularly attractive targets because they can provide persistent access and enable further lateral movement throughout the network. The fact that an attacker must first gain low-privileged code execution underscores that this vulnerability operates within the context of a compromised system, but once exploited, it provides a mechanism for attackers to establish more permanent control over affected endpoints. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which describes the use of privilege escalation techniques through local exploitation.
The similarity to CVE-2023-47193 indicates that this vulnerability likely shares common architectural or implementation patterns with previously identified flaws in Trend Micro's security products, suggesting a systemic issue within how these agents handle trusted code execution contexts. Both vulnerabilities demonstrate the critical importance of proper origin validation in security software where the agent itself becomes a potential attack vector when not properly isolated from malicious inputs.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected Apex One installations to address the root cause of the origin validation failure. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring for unusual code execution patterns and privilege escalation attempts within systems running Trend Micro agents. Network segmentation and least-privilege principles can help limit the impact if exploitation occurs, while regular security assessments of security agent configurations can help identify similar vulnerabilities in other security tools. The vulnerability highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of security products themselves, as these agents often operate with elevated privileges and represent high-value targets for attackers seeking persistent access to enterprise networks.