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Is your on-premise Apex Central vulnerable to the critical MsgReceiver exploit?
Trend Micro has released an urgent security update for Apex Central (on-premise) for Windows. This patch addresses CVE-2025-69258, a critical vulnerability carrying a CVSS score of 9.8. System administrators managing on-premise deployments must prioritize this update to prevent potential system compromise.
Technical Analysis of CVE-2025-69258
This vulnerability resides within the MsgReceiver.exe component of the Apex Central platform. The flaw involves an uncontrolled search path element, often referred to as DLL hijacking.
Due to improper validation, the application allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to load arbitrary Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs). If an attacker has network access to the endpoint, they can force the service to execute malicious code.
Risk Assessment
The severity of this flaw cannot be overstated. A successful exploit grants the attacker SYSTEM-level privileges. This creates a scenario where an intruder gains total control over the affected server without requiring valid credentials.
Scope of Impact
The vulnerability specifically targets local, on-premise installations.
- Affected Software: Apex Central for Windows (On-premise)
- Affected Versions: All builds prior to 7190
Remediation Steps
Trend Micro published the fix on January 7, 2026. To secure your infrastructure, verify your current build number immediately.
- Identify: Check if your Apex Central build is lower than 7190.
- Download: Obtain Critical Patch Build 7190 from the official Trend Micro download center.
- Deploy: Apply the patch to all affected Windows servers.
This update includes fixes for several other security gaps listed in the official bulletin. Refer to the specific readme file included with Build 7190 for comprehensive implementation details.