Overview
The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, with new vulnerabilities emerging and old ones being exploited. One such vulnerability that has been recently uncovered is CVE-2025-30641. This problematic issue affects the anti-malware solution portion of Trend Micro Deep Security 20.0 agents. Specifically, it involves a link following vulnerability that could, under certain conditions, allow a local attacker to escalate privileges on affected installations. This vulnerability is concerning as it could potentially lead to a complete system compromise or data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-30641
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Trend Micro Deep Security | 20.0
How the Exploit Works
This vulnerability stems from the improper handling of symbolic links by the affected software. When a malicious local user executes low-privileged code, the software could unintentionally follow a symbolic link that leads outside of its restricted path. This could allow the attacker to escalate his or her privileges on the system and perform unauthorized actions, potentially leading to a full system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
To illustrate, consider the following conceptual example of an exploit. This is a simplified representation and may not reflect the exact methods used by an attacker.
# Attacker creates a symbolic link to a sensitive file
ln -s /etc/shadow /tmp/vulnerable_link
# Attacker tricks the software into following the link
./vulnerable_software /tmp/vulnerable_linkIn this example, the attacker first creates a symbolic link to a sensitive file on the system (`/etc/shadow`). The attacker then tricks the vulnerable software into following this link, potentially gaining access to sensitive data or escalating their privileges on the system.
Note that to exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system. This means that although the vulnerability is serious, its exploitation is not trivial and requires initial access to the system.
Mitigation Guidance
Trend Micro has already released a patch to address this vulnerability. It is highly recommended that users promptly apply this patch to their systems. As a temporary mitigation, users can also utilize a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to monitor and block potential exploit attempts. However, this should not replace patching as a long-term solution.