CVE-2023-41179: 
Trend Micro Apex One Agent vulnerability analysis and mitigation

A critical vulnerability (CVE-2023-41179) was discovered in Trend Micro's endpoint security products, specifically affecting the 3rd party AV uninstaller module. The vulnerability impacts multiple products including Trend Micro Apex One (on-prem and SaaS), Worry-Free Business Security, and Worry-Free Business Security Services. This security flaw was identified with a CVSS score of 9.1, indicating its critical severity (JVN Advisory, Hacker News).

The vulnerability (CVE-2023-41179) is classified as a code injection flaw (CWE-94) that exists in the third-party antivirus uninstaller module. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first obtain administrative console access to the target system. Once accessed, the vulnerability allows for the execution of arbitrary commands with system privileges on affected installations (NVD, JVN Advisory).

A successful exploitation of CVE-2023-41179 enables attackers to execute arbitrary code with system privileges on computers where the vulnerable security agent is installed. This level of access could potentially lead to complete system compromise, given that the code would execute with the highest system privileges (JVN Advisory, Help Net Security).

Trend Micro has released patches to address the vulnerability: Apex One On Premise (2019) users should implement SP1 Patch 1 (B12380), Worry-Free Business Security 10.0 SP1 users should apply Patch 2495. For SaaS versions, fixes were included in the July 2023 Monthly Patch (202307) Agent Version 14.0.12637 for Apex One as a Service, and the July 31, 2023 Monthly Maintenance Release for Worry-Free Business Security Services. As a temporary workaround, organizations should restrict access to the product's administration console to trusted networks only (JVN Advisory, Hacker News).