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Of late, Trend Micro repaired a critical remote code execution flaw in its Anti-Threat Toolkit (ATTK).
The Trend Micro ATTK tool lets users carry out forensic images of their system and clean rootkit, ransomware, MBR and other types of malware infections.
Researcher John Page revealed that attackers can misuse ATTK to perform arbitrary code on a beleaguered system by fixing malicious files named cmd.exe or Regedit.exe in the same folder as the tool. When a scan is started, the malicious files would get implemented by the application.
“Since the ATTK is signed by verified publisher and therefore assumed trusted any MOTW security warnings are bypassed if the malware was internet downloaded, also it can become a persistence mechanism as each time the Anti-Threat Toolkit is run so can an attackers malware,” Page said in an advisory.
Trend Micro was apprised about the flaw, tracked as CVE-2019-9491, on September 9 and a patch was revealed on October 18 with the issue of version 1.62.0.1223. Version 1.62.0.1218 and below on Windows are affected by the flaw.
Other tools such as WCRY Patch Tool and OfficeScan Toolbox also cobine ATTK and they have also obtained updates to highlight the issue.
“Exploiting these type of vulnerabilities generally require that an attacker has access (physical or remote) to a vulnerable machine. In addition to timely application of patches and updated solutions, customers are also advised to review remote access to critical systems and ensure policies and perimeter security is up-to-date,” Trend Micro said in its own advisory. “However, even though an exploit may require several specific conditions to be met, Trend Micro strongly encourages customers to update to the latest builds as soon as possible.”
