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CVE Record

CVE-2020-8599: Trend Micro Apex One (2019) and OfficeScan XG server contain a vulnerable EXE file that could allow a remot...

Trend Micro Apex One (2019) and OfficeScan XG server contain a vulnerable EXE file that could allow a remote attacker to write arbitrary data to an arbitrary path on affected installations and bypass ROOT login. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability.

CriticalCVSS 9.8Known exploitedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysiscritical

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This flaw affects Trend Micro Apex One 2019 and OfficeScan XG servers. An unauthenticated remote attacker could write arbitrary data to arbitrary paths and bypass ROOT login, giving a direct path to serious compromise of endpoint-security infrastructure.

Executive priority

Treat this as urgent for any affected Trend Micro server. The vulnerable system protects endpoints, requires no attacker authentication, and is listed by CISA as exploited in the wild.

Technical view

CVE-2020-8599 is a network-reachable, unauthenticated vulnerability in a vulnerable EXE file on affected Trend Micro Apex One and OfficeScan servers. The CVSS 3.1 score is 9.8, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to organizations running OfficeScan XG 12.0 or Apex One 2019 14.0 servers, especially where management services are reachable from untrusted networks.

Exploitation context

CISA lists CVE-2020-8599 in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, so real-world exploitation is supported by a government source. The provided bundle does not include exploit details, campaign attribution, or exploitation volume.

Researcher notes

The bundle identifies affected products, impact, CVSS, vendor references, and KEV status. It does not provide CWE mapping, exact fixed builds, exploit prerequisites beyond no authentication, or safe detection indicators.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify all OfficeScan XG and Apex One 2019 servers.
  • Review Trend Micro advisory 000245571 for vendor remediation.
  • Apply Trend Micro-provided updates or mitigations for affected versions.
  • Reduce untrusted network access to affected management servers.
  • Prioritize remediation because the CVE is in CISA KEV.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm whether any servers run OfficeScan XG 12.0 or Apex One 2019 14.0.
  • Check installed build and patch status against Trend Micro guidance.
  • Verify exposed management interfaces are not reachable from untrusted networks.
  • Review server logs for unexpected file writes or authentication anomalies.
  • Track remediation evidence for KEV-driven vulnerability management reporting.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
5

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.

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CVE-2020-8599 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
Yes
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

CISA KEV status

Status
Known exploited
Source
CISA / ADP
Date added
Not provided

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
9.8CVSS 3.1CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

9.8Critical
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2020-8599Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
Trend MicroTrend Micro OfficeScan, Trend Micro Apex OneOfficeScan XG (12.0), Apex One 2019 (14.0)Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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