CVE-2025-49217 is a critical security vulnerability identified in Trend Micro Endpoint Encryption Policy Server version 6.0. The root cause of this vulnerability is the use of an obsolete function that leads to insecure deserialization within the application. Insecure deserialization occurs when untrusted data is used to reconstruct objects, which can allow an attacker to manipulate serialized data to execute arbitrary code. This specific vulnerability enables a remote attacker to perform pre-authentication remote code execution (RCE), meaning that no prior credentials or user interaction are required to exploit the flaw. The vulnerability is similar in nature to CVE-2025-49213 but affects a different method within the same product. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 reflects its critical severity, with attack vector being network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and full impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain full control over the affected server, potentially leading to data breaches, disruption of encryption policy enforcement, and lateral movement within an organization's network. As of the publication date, no known exploits have been reported in the wild, but the high severity and ease of exploitation make it a significant threat to organizations using this product. The lack of available patches at the time of disclosure further increases the urgency for mitigation and monitoring.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-49217 could be severe. Trend Micro Endpoint Encryption Policy Server is typically deployed in enterprises to manage encryption policies and protect sensitive data at rest. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized decryption or manipulation of encrypted data, compromising confidentiality and potentially violating data protection regulations such as GDPR. The ability to execute code remotely without authentication means attackers could disrupt business operations, deploy ransomware, or use the compromised server as a foothold for further attacks within the network. This is particularly critical for sectors with high data sensitivity such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure. Additionally, disruption of encryption policy enforcement could weaken overall endpoint security posture, increasing exposure to secondary attacks. The reputational damage and regulatory penalties resulting from data breaches or operational downtime could be substantial for affected European organizations.

Given the absence of an official patch at the time of disclosure, European organizations should implement immediate compensating controls. These include: 1) Restrict network access to the Trend Micro Endpoint Encryption Policy Server by implementing strict firewall rules and network segmentation to limit exposure to trusted management networks only. 2) Monitor network traffic and server logs for unusual or unauthorized deserialization attempts or anomalous activity indicative of exploitation attempts. 3) Employ application-layer firewalls or intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) with signatures or heuristics capable of detecting deserialization attacks targeting this product. 4) Disable or restrict any unnecessary services or interfaces on the server to reduce the attack surface. 5) Engage with Trend Micro support to obtain any available hotfixes, patches, or recommended configuration changes as soon as they are released. 6) Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing potential exploitation scenarios of this vulnerability. 7) Conduct thorough inventory and risk assessment to identify all instances of the affected product version within the organization and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly.