High severity · published May 21, 2026
CVE-2025-71216
A time-of-check time-of-use vulnerability in the Trend Micro Apex One (mac) agent cache mechanism could allow a local attacker to escalate privileges on affected installations
7.8
CVSS
0.3%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
A time-of-check time-of-use vulnerability in the Trend Micro Apex One (mac) agent cache mechanism could allow a local attacker to escalate privileges on affected installations.
Please note: an attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.
The following information is provided as informational only for CVE references, as these were addressed already via ActiveUpdate/SaaS updates in mid to late 2025 (SaaS 2507 & 2005 Yearly Release).
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.3% · higher than 25% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
AO
Apex One · Trend Micro
All versions, or not specified · source: NVD
TA
TrendAI Apex One (Mac) · Trend Micro, Inc.
before NA · source: vendor
In the news
VulnerabilityHigh
ZDI-26-142: Trend Micro Apex One Security Agent Cache Mechanism Time-Of-Check Time-Of-Use Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Trend Micro Apex One Security Agent. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The ZDI has assigned a CVSS rating of 7.8. The following CVEs are assigned: CVE-2025-71216.
Mar 3, 2026·Zero Day Initiative
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-71216
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-71216
Vendor Advisory
https://success.trendmicro.com/en-US/solution/KA-0022458
Third Party Advisory
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-26-142/
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