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CVE Record

CVE-2018-6232: A buffer overflow privilege escalation vulnerability in Trend Micro Maximum Security (Consumer) 2018 could...

A buffer overflow privilege escalation vulnerability in Trend Micro Maximum Security (Consumer) 2018 could allow a local attacker to escalate privileges on vulnerable installations due to a flaw within processing of IOCTL 0x22205C by the tmnciesc.sys driver. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2018-6232 is a local privilege escalation flaw in Trend Micro Maximum Security Consumer 2018. An attacker already able to run low-privileged code on a Windows endpoint could use a driver buffer overflow to gain higher privileges. The sources do not show internet exposure or confirmed active exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat this as a cleanup and hardening priority, not an emergency internet-wide exposure. Remediate any remaining 2018 consumer installs because security software drivers run with high privilege and can turn a small foothold into full endpoint compromise.

Technical view

The vulnerability is a buffer overflow in Trend Micro's tmnciesc.sys driver when processing IOCTL 0x22205C. Exploitation requires local code execution with low privileges first. Public metadata does not provide CVSS, CWE, detailed patch level, or exploit status beyond the vendor and ZDI references.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to endpoints running Trend Micro Maximum Security Consumer 2018 with the vulnerable tmnciesc.sys driver installed. The source bundle does not identify other Trend Micro products or versions as affected.

Exploitation context

This is post-compromise local escalation, not an initial remote-entry vulnerability. It matters when an attacker, malware, or malicious insider already has low-privileged execution on a vulnerable endpoint. KEV is false, and no provided source confirms active exploitation.

Researcher notes

Evidence is sparse: no CVSS, CWE, patch build, or exploit-in-the-wild confirmation is included. Analysis should stay scoped to Trend Micro Maximum Security Consumer 2018 and tmnciesc.sys IOCTL 0x22205C unless vendor guidance expands affected products.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory endpoints for Trend Micro Maximum Security Consumer 2018.
  • Check Trend Micro advisory 1119591 for official update or replacement guidance.
  • Prioritize remediation on shared, high-value, or malware-exposed Windows systems.
  • Reduce local code execution opportunities through application control and least privilege.
  • Monitor vendor advisories for any newly published affected-version details.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm whether tmnciesc.sys is present on endpoints running the product.
  • Compare installed product and driver versions against Trend Micro's advisory guidance.
  • Verify affected systems have received the vendor-recommended update or replacement.
  • Review EDR telemetry for suspicious privilege changes on affected endpoints.
  • Document systems where vendor patch status cannot be confirmed.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

description · low confidence lookup

Privilege behavior lookup

The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2018-6232 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
3Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
Trend MicroTrend Micro Maximum Security2018Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.