CVE-2025-49219: CWE-477: Use of Obsolete Function in Trend Micro, Inc. Trend Micro Apex Central
An insecure deserialization operation in Trend Micro Apex Central below versions 8.0.7007 could lead to a pre-authentication remote code execution on affected installations. Note that this vulnerability is similar to CVE-2025-49220 but is in a different method.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2025-49219 is a critical vulnerability identified in Trend Micro Apex Central versions below 8.0.7007. The root cause of this vulnerability is an insecure deserialization operation, classified under CWE-477 (Use of Obsolete Function). Insecure deserialization occurs when untrusted data is used to abuse the logic of an application, inflict denial of service (DoS) attacks, or execute arbitrary code. Specifically, this vulnerability allows an attacker to perform remote code execution (RCE) without requiring any authentication or user interaction, making it highly dangerous. The vulnerability is pre-authentication, meaning an attacker can exploit it remotely without any prior access or credentials. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8, indicating a critical severity level, 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). This vulnerability is similar to CVE-2025-49220 but affects a different method within the same product. Trend Micro Apex Central is a centralized security management platform widely used by enterprises to manage endpoint security, server security, and other Trend Micro products. Exploitation of this vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, disruption of security monitoring, and lateral movement within networks. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the critical nature and ease of exploitation make it a high-risk issue requiring immediate attention. No official patches are listed at the time of this report, which increases the urgency for organizations to implement interim mitigations and monitor for updates from Trend Micro.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-49219 could be severe due to the widespread use of Trend Micro Apex Central in enterprise environments, including critical infrastructure, financial institutions, healthcare, and government agencies. Successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of security management systems, disabling or manipulating endpoint protection and detection capabilities. This could result in undetected malware infections, data breaches involving sensitive personal and corporate data protected under GDPR, and disruption of business operations. Given the pre-authentication nature, attackers could launch attacks from external networks without needing insider access, increasing the risk of large-scale attacks. The loss of integrity and availability of security management tools could also hinder incident response efforts, prolonging recovery times. Additionally, the ability to execute arbitrary code remotely could facilitate ransomware deployment or espionage campaigns targeting European organizations. The lack of known exploits currently provides a small window for mitigation, but the critical severity and ease of exploitation mean that European entities should treat this vulnerability as a top priority.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Immediate deployment of any available patches or updates from Trend Micro as soon as they are released. Monitor Trend Micro advisories closely for patch announcements. 2. If patches are not yet available, implement network-level restrictions to limit access to the Apex Central management interface, such as IP whitelisting, VPN-only access, or segmentation of management networks to trusted administrators only. 3. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious deserialization payloads or anomalous traffic patterns targeting Apex Central. 4. Conduct thorough logging and monitoring of Apex Central access and behavior to detect unusual activities indicative of exploitation attempts, including unexpected deserialization errors or anomalous remote code execution indicators. 5. Review and harden the configuration of Apex Central, disabling any unnecessary services or interfaces that could be exploited. 6. Prepare incident response plans specifically for potential compromise scenarios involving Apex Central, including backup and recovery procedures. 7. Educate security teams about the vulnerability details and encourage proactive threat hunting for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability. 8. Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting post-exploitation behaviors to mitigate impact if exploitation occurs. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on network segmentation, active monitoring, and preparation for incident response tailored to the specific nature of this vulnerability.
Affected Countries
Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, Switzerland
CVE-2025-49219: CWE-477: Use of Obsolete Function in Trend Micro, Inc. Trend Micro Apex Central
Description
An insecure deserialization operation in Trend Micro Apex Central below versions 8.0.7007 could lead to a pre-authentication remote code execution on affected installations. Note that this vulnerability is similar to CVE-2025-49220 but is in a different method.
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
CVE-2025-49219 is a critical vulnerability identified in Trend Micro Apex Central versions below 8.0.7007. The root cause of this vulnerability is an insecure deserialization operation, classified under CWE-477 (Use of Obsolete Function). Insecure deserialization occurs when untrusted data is used to abuse the logic of an application, inflict denial of service (DoS) attacks, or execute arbitrary code. Specifically, this vulnerability allows an attacker to perform remote code execution (RCE) without requiring any authentication or user interaction, making it highly dangerous. The vulnerability is pre-authentication, meaning an attacker can exploit it remotely without any prior access or credentials. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8, indicating a critical severity level, 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). This vulnerability is similar to CVE-2025-49220 but affects a different method within the same product. Trend Micro Apex Central is a centralized security management platform widely used by enterprises to manage endpoint security, server security, and other Trend Micro products. Exploitation of this vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, disruption of security monitoring, and lateral movement within networks. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the critical nature and ease of exploitation make it a high-risk issue requiring immediate attention. No official patches are listed at the time of this report, which increases the urgency for organizations to implement interim mitigations and monitor for updates from Trend Micro.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-49219 could be severe due to the widespread use of Trend Micro Apex Central in enterprise environments, including critical infrastructure, financial institutions, healthcare, and government agencies. Successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of security management systems, disabling or manipulating endpoint protection and detection capabilities. This could result in undetected malware infections, data breaches involving sensitive personal and corporate data protected under GDPR, and disruption of business operations. Given the pre-authentication nature, attackers could launch attacks from external networks without needing insider access, increasing the risk of large-scale attacks. The loss of integrity and availability of security management tools could also hinder incident response efforts, prolonging recovery times. Additionally, the ability to execute arbitrary code remotely could facilitate ransomware deployment or espionage campaigns targeting European organizations. The lack of known exploits currently provides a small window for mitigation, but the critical severity and ease of exploitation mean that European entities should treat this vulnerability as a top priority.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Immediate deployment of any available patches or updates from Trend Micro as soon as they are released. Monitor Trend Micro advisories closely for patch announcements. 2. If patches are not yet available, implement network-level restrictions to limit access to the Apex Central management interface, such as IP whitelisting, VPN-only access, or segmentation of management networks to trusted administrators only. 3. Employ Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious deserialization payloads or anomalous traffic patterns targeting Apex Central. 4. Conduct thorough logging and monitoring of Apex Central access and behavior to detect unusual activities indicative of exploitation attempts, including unexpected deserialization errors or anomalous remote code execution indicators. 5. Review and harden the configuration of Apex Central, disabling any unnecessary services or interfaces that could be exploited. 6. Prepare incident response plans specifically for potential compromise scenarios involving Apex Central, including backup and recovery procedures. 7. Educate security teams about the vulnerability details and encourage proactive threat hunting for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability. 8. Consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting post-exploitation behaviors to mitigate impact if exploitation occurs. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on network segmentation, active monitoring, and preparation for incident response tailored to the specific nature of this vulnerability.
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Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.1
- Assigner Short Name
- trendmicro
- Date Reserved
- 2025-06-03T18:11:27.260Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6851aaa9a8c9212743860200
Added to database: 6/17/2025, 5:49:29 PM
Last enriched: 6/17/2025, 6:04:45 PM
Last updated: 8/6/2025, 12:50:42 PM
Views: 23
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