CVE-2025-49220 is a critical security 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 deserialized by an application without sufficient validation, allowing attackers to manipulate serialized objects to execute arbitrary code. This specific vulnerability enables an unauthenticated remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected system without any user interaction, making it highly dangerous. The vulnerability is similar to CVE-2025-49219 but affects a different method within the Apex Central product. Given that Apex Central is a centralized security management platform widely used by enterprises to manage Trend Micro security products, exploitation of this vulnerability could allow attackers to gain full control over the management console and potentially pivot to other systems within the network. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8, reflecting the criticality of the flaw with metrics indicating network attack vector, no required privileges, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Although no public exploits have been reported yet, the ease of exploitation and the critical nature of the vulnerability make it a prime target for threat actors once exploit code becomes available. The absence of a patch at the time of publication further increases the risk to affected organizations.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-49220 could be severe. Trend Micro Apex Central is commonly deployed in large enterprises and managed service providers for centralized security management. Successful exploitation could lead to complete compromise of the security management infrastructure, allowing attackers to disable or manipulate security controls, exfiltrate sensitive data, and move laterally within corporate networks. This could result in widespread disruption, data breaches involving personal and corporate data protected under GDPR, and significant operational downtime. Critical sectors such as finance, healthcare, energy, and government agencies in Europe that rely on Trend Micro solutions for endpoint and network security are particularly at risk. The ability to execute code remotely without authentication means attackers can launch attacks at scale, potentially targeting multiple organizations simultaneously. The reputational damage and regulatory penalties following a breach could be substantial, especially given the stringent data protection regulations in Europe.

Immediate mitigation steps include upgrading Trend Micro Apex Central to version 8.0.7007 or later once the vendor releases a patch. Until a patch is available, organizations should implement network-level controls to restrict access to the Apex Central management interface, limiting it to trusted administrative networks and VPNs. Deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules to detect and block suspicious deserialization payloads can provide an additional layer of defense. Monitoring network traffic and logs for unusual activity related to Apex Central, such as unexpected serialized object data or anomalous remote connections, is critical for early detection. Organizations should also review and harden their overall security posture by enforcing strict access controls, multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and segmenting the management network from general user networks. Conducting threat hunting exercises focused on indicators of compromise related to deserialization attacks will help identify any early exploitation attempts. Finally, maintaining up-to-date backups and incident response plans tailored to this vulnerability scenario will aid in rapid recovery if exploitation occurs.