CVE-2020-24557
Published: November 3, 2021
Official Description
Trend Micro Apex One, OfficeScan, and Worry-Free Business Security on Microsoft Windows contain an improper access control vulnerability that may allow an attacker to manipulate a particular product folder to disable the security temporarily, abuse a specific Windows function, and attain privilege escalation.
CISA KEV Advisory
Trend Micro Multiple Products Improper Access Control Vulnerability
Trend Micro Apex One, OfficeScan, and Worry-Free Business Security on Microsoft Windows contain an improper access control vulnerability that may allow an attacker to manipulate a particular product folder to disable the security temporarily, abuse a specific Windows function, and attain privilege escalation.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Risk Analysis
This high-severity vulnerability affects Trend Micro Apex One, OfficeScan, and Worry-Free Business Security on Windows, allowing an attacker to manipulate product folders to temporarily disable security and achieve privilege escalation. Its inclusion in CISA's KEV catalog and active exploitation in the wild highlight its urgency, despite a low EPSS score of 0.01876.
This vulnerability is actively being exploited in the wild, as confirmed by its presence in CISA's KEV catalog. Attackers are leveraging this flaw to gain elevated privileges.
Update Trend Micro Apex One, OfficeScan, and Worry-Free Business Security to the latest versions. Implement strict access controls on product folders to prevent unauthorized manipulation and privilege escalation.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2020-24557 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
CISA has added CVE-2020-24557 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (1)
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2020-24557 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
- !CISA KEV: Federal agencies must patch per BOD 22-01 timeline
- !Active exploitation confirmed — treat as P1