CVE Alert: CVE-2025-54948 – Trend Micro, Inc. – Trend Micro Apex One

Risk verdict

Critical and actively exploitable; treat as priority 1 given active exploitation and KEV listing.

Why this matters

An unauthenticated remote attacker can upload malicious code and execute commands on the on‑prem management console, risking full control of the affected system. This can enable data exfiltration, disruption of security controls, and lateral movement within the organisation’s network, potentially impacting operations and trust in the security posture.

Most likely attack path

Exploitation requires only network access to the management console with no user interaction or privileges. An attacker could immediately upload payloads and execute commands, with high impact on confidentiality and availability, and limited preconditions due to low complexity. Post‑compromise could enable persistence or pivot to adjacent systems within the same security boundary.

Who is most exposed

Organisations with on‑premises consoles that are reachable from less‑trusted networks or poorly segmented, and those lacking strict access controls or monitoring around admin interfaces.

Detection ideas

• Sudden, large or unusual file uploads to the management console
• Unexpected command executions or new processes started by the console
• Anomalous admin API activity or web console calls outside normal maintenance windows
• Regained or elevated access patterns from the console (e.g., new services, remote code execution)
• Unusual outbound connections from the console to external hosts

Mitigation and prioritisation

• Apply the vendor patch to the affected build or upgrade to the fixed version.
• Enforce network segmentation: restrict management console access to trusted networks and admin workstations.
• Disable or tightly constrain remote upload/command capabilities if configurable; enable strict access controls and MFA where possible.
• Increase logging, real-time alerts, and integrity monitoring for console activity; perform rapid incident triage if alerts fire.
• Coordinate change management to patch promptly; document workaround remediation if patch deployment is delayed. Treat as priority 1.