CVE-2020-8468
Trend Micro Multiple Products Content Validation Escape Vulnerability
Description
CVE-2020-8468 is a high-severity content validation escape vulnerability affecting Trend Micro Apex One (2019), OfficeScan XG, and Worry-Free Business Security (versions 9.0, 9.5, and 10.0). This injection vulnerability (CWE-74) allows an attacker to manipulate certain agent client components by bypassing content validation mechanisms. Although exploitation requires user authentication, successful attacks can fully compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems. CISA has confirmed active exploitation by adding CVE-2020-8468 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. With an EPSS score of 18.38% (95.13th percentile), this vulnerability has a notable probability of exploitation.
KEV Information
CVSS Score
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HOpen in CalculatorCWEs
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|---|---|
| trendmicro | apex one | 2019 |
| trendmicro | officescan | xg |
| trendmicro | worry-free business security | 9.0; 9.5; 10.0 |
Multiple CVSS Assessments
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://success.trendmicro.com/jp/solution/000244253(Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- https://success.trendmicro.com/jp/solution/000244836(Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- https://success.trendmicro.com/solution/000245571(Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- https://success.trendmicro.com/solution/000245572(Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-8468(US Government Resource)
Weakness Type
CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component (‘Injection’)
Injection vulnerabilities occur when an application fails to properly neutralize special elements before passing data to a downstream component that interprets it in a different context. In Trend Micro Apex One, OfficeScan, and Worry-Free Business Security, the agent client components do not adequately validate content, allowing an authenticated attacker to inject specially crafted data that escapes the expected content validation boundaries and manipulates client component behavior.
Learn more: CWE-74 — Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component (‘Injection’)
Impact Analysis
CVE-2020-8468 carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8 (HIGH), reflecting a severe threat to enterprise endpoint security infrastructure. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network with low attack complexity and requires only low-level privileges, with no user interaction needed. Confidentiality (High) is fully impacted, allowing attackers to access sensitive security configuration data and endpoint telemetry. Integrity (High) allows manipulation of security agent components, potentially disabling protection mechanisms or altering security policies. Availability (High) enables disruption of endpoint security services across managed devices. The EPSS score of 18.38% (95.13th percentile) indicates significant exploitation probability. Since the affected products are enterprise endpoint security solutions deployed across entire organizations, successful exploitation could undermine security protections on all managed endpoints simultaneously.
Exploit Maturity
CVE-2020-8468 is confirmed as actively exploited through its inclusion in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a remediation deadline of 2022-05-03. The EPSS score of 18.38% (95.13th percentile) reflects notable exploitation activity. No public proof-of-concept exploit code has been identified in the NVD references, indicating that exploitation may be conducted through targeted campaigns using privately developed tools. Trend Micro acknowledged that this vulnerability was exploited in the wild alongside CVE-2020-8467 and CVE-2020-8599, suggesting these vulnerabilities were used as part of coordinated attack chains targeting Trend Micro security infrastructure.
Remediation
- Apply vendor patches immediately as required by CISA KEV. Install security updates from Trend Micro for Apex One 2019, OfficeScan XG, and Worry-Free Business Security versions 9.0, 9.5, and 10.0 as documented in the vendor advisories.
- Verify that all agent deployments have been updated across the organization. Check Apex One, OfficeScan, and Worry-Free Business Security agent versions on all managed endpoints to confirm successful patch deployment.
- Restrict network access to agent communication channels and management interfaces using network segmentation and firewall rules, limiting agent-to-server communication to trusted network paths only.
- Monitor endpoint security logs for signs of agent component manipulation, including unexpected configuration changes, disabled protection features, or anomalous agent behavior that could indicate exploitation of the content validation bypass.
- Implement additional endpoint monitoring through secondary security tools (EDR, SIEM) to detect potential compromise of Trend Micro agent components, as a compromised security agent may not reliably report its own manipulation.
Technical Details
CVE-2020-8468 exploits a content validation escape flaw in the agent client components of Trend Micro Apex One (2019), OfficeScan XG, and Worry-Free Business Security. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-74 (Injection), indicating that the agent components fail to properly neutralize special elements in data that is processed by downstream components. The CVSS vector (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) shows the attack is network-based with low complexity, requires low-level privileges (authenticated access), and needs no user interaction. The content validation escape allows an authenticated attacker to inject crafted input that bypasses the expected validation boundaries, enabling manipulation of agent client components. This could include altering security configurations, disabling protection features, or executing unauthorized operations within the agent context. The exploitability score of 2.8 reflects the straightforward attack path once authentication is obtained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-8468 being actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2020-8468 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming active exploitation. Trend Micro has acknowledged in-the-wild exploitation alongside related vulnerabilities CVE-2020-8467 and CVE-2020-8599. The EPSS score of 18.38% (95.13th percentile) indicates notable exploitation activity.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-8468?
CVE-2020-8468 affects Trend Micro Apex One version 2019, Trend Micro OfficeScan XG, and Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security versions 9.0, 9.5, and 10.0. All agent client components in these products are vulnerable.
How do I fix CVE-2020-8468?
Apply security updates from Trend Micro for all affected products. Verify agent updates are deployed across all managed endpoints. Restrict network access to management interfaces and implement secondary monitoring to detect potential agent compromise.
How severe is CVE-2020-8468?
CVE-2020-8468 has a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8 (HIGH). As an injection vulnerability in endpoint security agent components, successful exploitation can compromise the security infrastructure protecting an entire organization, making remediation a high priority.
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