CVE-2025-49220 in Apex Central
Summary
by MITRE • 06/17/2025
An insecure deserialization operation in Trend Micro Apex Central below version 8.0.7007 could lead to a pre-authentication remote code execution on affected installations. Note that this vulnerability is similar to CVE-2025-49219 but is in a different method.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-49220 represents a critical insecure deserialization flaw within Trend Micro Apex Central software versions prior to 8.0.7007. This vulnerability exists in the application's handling of serialized data structures and creates a pathway for remote code execution without requiring authentication. The flaw specifically affects the deserialization process in a distinct method compared to CVE-2025-49219, indicating that Trend Micro's security team has identified separate attack vectors within their software architecture. The vulnerability's pre-authentication nature means that attackers can exploit it without needing valid credentials, significantly increasing the attack surface and potential impact. This type of vulnerability typically occurs when applications deserialize untrusted data without proper validation or sanitization, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary code during the object reconstruction process. The security implications are severe as this enables attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the affected system, potentially leading to complete system compromise and lateral movement within network environments.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows established patterns associated with insecure deserialization attacks and maps directly to CWE-502, which specifically addresses deserialization of untrusted data. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious serialized objects that, when processed by the vulnerable application, trigger unintended behavior including code execution. The vulnerability's location within Trend Micro's Apex Central platform means that organizations using this security management solution are at risk, particularly those with exposed management interfaces or systems that have not applied the relevant security patches. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can potentially gain full control over the Apex Central server, enabling them to access sensitive security data, modify security configurations, or use the compromised system as a pivot point for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The attack vector typically involves sending specially crafted serialized data to the vulnerable application's deserialization endpoint, where the malicious payload is executed with the privileges of the running application.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-49220 extends beyond immediate system compromise to affect broader enterprise security postures and incident response capabilities. Organizations utilizing Trend Micro Apex Central may experience significant disruption to their security operations, as the compromised management system could be used to disable or manipulate other security controls. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where Apex Central serves as a central management point for security policies and monitoring activities, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to undermine security infrastructure. The pre-authentication aspect means that attackers can exploit this vulnerability from outside the network perimeter, potentially allowing for initial access without needing to first breach network defenses or overcome authentication mechanisms. Security teams must also consider that exploitation of this vulnerability may not be immediately detectable through standard network monitoring, as the malicious activity could appear as legitimate application behavior during the deserialization process. The vulnerability's similarity to CVE-2025-49219 suggests that Trend Micro's security architecture may contain multiple entry points for similar attacks, indicating a need for comprehensive security reviews and potentially broader patching efforts.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of CVE-2025-49220 by upgrading to Trend Micro Apex Central version 8.0.7007 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes to address the insecure deserialization flaw. The mitigation strategy should include network segmentation to limit access to the Apex Central management interfaces and implementing additional monitoring controls to detect anomalous deserialization activity. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other potentially vulnerable components within their Trend Micro ecosystem. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1548.003 for abuse of cloud service principals and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter, highlighting the potential for attackers to leverage this vulnerability for persistence and execution. Organizations should implement network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts and consider deploying application control measures to prevent execution of malicious serialized objects. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that the patch has effectively resolved the vulnerability and that no other similar flaws exist within the application's deserialization handling mechanisms.