CVE-2025-30640: Escalation of Privileges Vulnerability in Trend Micro Deep Security

Overview

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, vulnerabilities are a concern for all organizations. One such vulnerability known as CVE-2025-30640 has been identified in Trend Micro Deep Security agents of version 20.0. This vulnerability allows a local attacker to escalate privileges on affected installations, opening the door for potential system compromise or data leakage. Given that Trend Micro Deep Security is widely used to protect systems from data breaches and business disruptions, this vulnerability could have a significant impact on organizations that have not applied the necessary patches or mitigation strategies.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-30640
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Trend Micro Deep Security | 20.0

How the Exploit Works

An attacker with low-level privileges on the target system can exploit this vulnerability by following a specific link in the Trend Micro Deep Security agent. This link following vulnerability allows the attacker to escalate their privileges on the system, potentially gaining full control and enabling them to compromise the system or leak sensitive data.

Conceptual Example Code

Let’s consider a conceptual scenario where an attacker might exploit this vulnerability. In this case, the attacker already has low-level privileges and is now aiming to escalate these privileges. The exploitation process might look something like this:

# The attacker first gains low-level access to the system
$ ssh low_privileged_user@target.system.com
# Once they have access, they exploit the link following vulnerability
$ ln -s /etc/shadow /tmp/vulnerable_link
# The attacker then follows the link
$ cat /tmp/vulnerable_link

In this hypothetical example, the attacker is able to read the /etc/shadow file, which contains hashed passwords for system users, due to the link following vulnerability. This could potentially allow the attacker to gain unauthorized access to other accounts on the system, depending on the strength of the passwords and hashing algorithm used.
Please note that the above example is purely conceptual and may not represent the actual exploitation process of this vulnerability. It is intended to demonstrate how an attacker might take advantage of a link following vulnerability to escalate their privileges on a system.