CVE-2025-30641 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in Trend Micro Deep Security version 20.0, specifically within its anti-malware solution component. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-59, which pertains to improper link resolution before file access. This flaw allows a local attacker—who already has the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system—to escalate their privileges. The vulnerability arises because the software improperly handles symbolic links or shortcuts when accessing files, potentially allowing an attacker to trick the system into accessing or modifying files outside the intended scope. This can lead to unauthorized access, modification, or deletion of critical files, thereby compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 reflects a high severity level, with the vector indicating that the attack requires local access (AV:L), low complexity (AC:L), low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches have been linked yet. However, the vulnerability’s nature makes it a significant risk for environments relying on Trend Micro Deep Security 20.0 agents, especially in multi-user or shared environments where local privilege escalation can lead to broader system compromise.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-30641 can be substantial, particularly for enterprises and service providers using Trend Micro Deep Security 20.0 to protect critical infrastructure, cloud environments, and enterprise servers. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to escalate privileges from a low-privileged user to higher system privileges, potentially leading to full system compromise. This could result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of security monitoring and malware detection capabilities, and the potential for lateral movement within networks. Sectors such as finance, healthcare, energy, and government are especially at risk due to the critical nature of their data and services. Additionally, the vulnerability could undermine trust in endpoint protection solutions, complicating incident response and recovery efforts. Given the requirement for local code execution, the threat is more pronounced in environments where multiple users have access or where attackers can gain initial footholds through other means such as phishing or exploiting other vulnerabilities.

To mitigate this vulnerability effectively, European organizations should: 1) Prioritize upgrading or patching Trend Micro Deep Security agents to the latest version once an official patch is released by Trend Micro. 2) Implement strict access controls and user privilege management to minimize the number of users with local execution rights, thereby reducing the attack surface. 3) Employ application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor and block suspicious local activities that could indicate exploitation attempts. 4) Conduct regular audits of file system permissions and symbolic link usage to detect and remediate improper configurations that could be exploited. 5) Use network segmentation to limit the ability of an attacker who gains local access to move laterally across critical systems. 6) Educate system administrators and security teams about this specific vulnerability to enhance monitoring for related indicators of compromise. 7) Temporarily restrict or monitor the use of Trend Micro Deep Security agents on systems where local user access is common until patches are applied. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on controlling local access and monitoring file system interactions related to symbolic links, which are central to this vulnerability.