Trend Micro Apex Central flaw exploited in wild
A file-upload vulnerability in Trend Micro Apex Central is being actively exploited to achieve remote code execution.
Sourceipa.go.jp — open the original
What to check
- Applies to
- The 1 CVE named below. Whether you run an affected version is not assessed: check the versions the source lists.
- Exploitation
- CISA lists CVE-2022-26871 as exploited in the wild.
Japan's IPA issued an alert regarding a vulnerability in Trend Micro Apex Central and Apex Central as a Service, an integrated security management product. The flaw allows a remote attacker to upload arbitrary files, which can subsequently be leveraged to execute arbitrary code on affected systems.
Mentioned in this report
Detection guidance
Suspicious Child Process Spawned from Java-based Web Application (Possible Apex Central Exploitation)
A behavioural hunt for the technique in general, not a signature for the CVEs this report names.
Detects a shell or scripting interpreter spawned as a child of a Java/Tomcat web-server process, consistent with remote code execution following an arbitrary file upload exploit such as the Trend Micro Apex Central vulnerability. Auto-generated starting point — validate and tune in your environment before deploying. IOC matches can false-positive on shared infrastructure and decay as adversary infrastructure rotates.
title: Suspicious Shell Spawned from Java Web Server Process
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_parent:
ParentImage|endswith:
- \java.exe
- \javaw.exe
- \tomcat.exe
- \tomcat9.exe
selection_child:
Image|endswith:
- \cmd.exe
- \powershell.exe
- \pwsh.exe
- \cscript.exe
- \wscript.exe
- \rundll32.exe
filter_common_admin:
CommandLine|contains:
- catalina
- setclasspath
condition: selection_parent and selection_child and not filter_common_admin
falsepositives:
- Legitimate administrative scripts invoked by Tomcat startup/shutdown wrappers
- Java-based management tools that intentionally shell out for local system checks
level: high
tags:
- attack.t1190
- attack.execution
id: 54b8c331-f5e1-5f18-87b0-d6201fc37509
status: experimental
author: Vorant
Webshell-like Script File Dropped in Web Application Directory
A behavioural hunt for the technique in general, not a signature for the CVEs this report names.
Detects creation of script or archive files (jsp, war, php, aspx) inside a web application directory, indicating a possible webshell dropped via an arbitrary file upload vulnerability such as the one affecting Trend Micro Apex Central. Auto-generated starting point — validate and tune in your environment before deploying. IOC matches can false-positive on shared infrastructure and decay as adversary infrastructure rotates.
title: Script File Created in Web Application Directory
logsource:
category: file_event
product: windows
detection:
selection:
TargetFilename|contains:
- \webapps\
- \wwwroot\
TargetFilename|endswith:
- .jsp
- .jspx
- .war
- .php
- .aspx
filter_deployment:
TargetFilename|contains:
- \ROOT\WEB-INF\lib\
condition: selection and not filter_deployment
falsepositives:
- Legitimate application deployment or update of war/jsp files by administrators
- Automated build/CI pipelines deploying updated web application packages
level: medium
tags:
- attack.t1190
- attack.persistence
id: b7bfb0d6-4c2a-53f3-8b0d-6362f371de84
status: experimental
author: Vorant
Reconnaissance Commands Executed by Web Server Process
A behavioural hunt for the technique in general, not a signature for the CVEs this report names.
Detects common post-exploitation reconnaissance commands (whoami, net user, systeminfo) executed by a process whose parent is a web server or Java application server process, suggesting successful exploitation of a public-facing application such as Apex Central. Auto-generated starting point — validate and tune in your environment before deploying. IOC matches can false-positive on shared infrastructure and decay as adversary infrastructure rotates.
title: Recon Commands Executed by Web Server Child Process
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_parent:
ParentImage|endswith:
- \java.exe
- \javaw.exe
- \tomcat.exe
- \w3wp.exe
- \httpd.exe
selection_cmd:
CommandLine|contains:
- whoami
- net user
- net localgroup
- systeminfo
- ipconfig
- tasklist
condition: selection_parent and selection_cmd
falsepositives:
- Health-check or monitoring scripts that gather system information through the web
server account
- Administrative diagnostic scripts scheduled to run under the service account
level: high
tags:
- attack.t1190
- attack.discovery
id: 393c7c63-afdd-5cd9-bf75-b1cf904c10c7
status: experimental
author: Vorant
Behavioural rules are generated from public reporting — validate in your environment before deploying.
Source reporting: https://www.ipa.go.jp/archive/security/security-alert/2021/alert20220330.html
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