CVE-2023-32555
Description
A Time-of-Check Time-Of-Use vulnerability in the Trend Micro Apex One and Apex One as a Service agent could allow a local attacker to escalate privileges on affected installations.
Please note: a local attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.
This is similar to, but not identical to CVE-2023-32554.
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
A time-of-check time-of-use flaw in Trend Micro Apex One agent allows local privilege escalation to SYSTEM.
Vulnerability
A time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) vulnerability exists in the Trend Micro Apex One and Apex One as a Service agent, specifically within the Apex One Client Plug-in Service Manager. The issue results from the lack of proper locking when performing operations on a file, leading to a race condition. Affected versions include Apex One 2019 (On-prem) and Apex One as a Service versions before the April 2023 Maintenance release [1][2].
Exploitation
To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system. The attacker then triggers a race condition by manipulating file operations in the Apex One Client Plug-in Service Manager, taking advantage of the missing synchronization [2].
Impact
Successful exploitation allows a local attacker to escalate privileges to SYSTEM, enabling arbitrary code execution with the highest level of system access. This can lead to full compromise of the affected endpoint [2].
Mitigation
Trend Micro has released fixes: for Apex One (On-prem), apply SP1 Critical Patch B12024; for Apex One as a Service, update to the April 2023 Maintenance (Build 202304, Security Agent version 14.0.12105) [1]. No workarounds are documented; applying the latest patches is strongly recommended.
AI Insight generated on May 25, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
3- Trend Micro, Inc./Trend Micro Apex Onev5Range: 2019
Patches
0No patches discovered yet.
Vulnerability mechanics
AI mechanics synthesis has not run for this CVE yet.
References
2News mentions
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