Introduction
Attackers can gain remote code execution on Trend Micro Apex One management consoles, potentially taking full control of enterprise security infrastructure. This vulnerability enables malicious code upload and OS command execution before authentication, making it a critical concern for organizations relying on Apex One to manage endpoint security.
Trend Micro is a leading global cybersecurity vendor with a broad portfolio in endpoint, network, and cloud security. Their Apex One platform is widely deployed in enterprise environments for endpoint protection and centralized security management. As of 2025, Trend Micro has millions of customers worldwide and is considered a major player in the endpoint security industry.
Technical Information
CVE-2025-54948 is an OS command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) in the Trend Micro Apex One on-premise management console. The flaw allows a pre-authenticated remote attacker to upload malicious code and execute arbitrary operating system commands on the affected server. The vulnerability is due to insufficient input validation in the management console's backend, where user-supplied input is passed to system-level execution functions without proper sanitization. Attackers with access to the management console interface can craft payloads that inject OS commands, leading to remote code execution with the privileges of the console process.
No public code snippets or detailed exploit vectors have been disclosed as of the advisory date.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: Trend Micro Apex One (on-premise)
- Vulnerable component: Management Console
- Exact affected versions: Not specified in public advisories as of August 5, 2025
- Only on-premise deployments are affected; Apex One as a Service (cloud) is not listed as impacted
Vendor Security History
Trend Micro has addressed several critical vulnerabilities in Apex One throughout 2025, including multiple remote code execution and privilege escalation issues. The company maintains a regular security bulletin process and generally provides timely patches. However, the frequency of severe vulnerabilities in 2025 highlights ongoing security challenges in their enterprise product lines.