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CVE-2016-6269 Trendmicro CVE debrief

CVE-2016-6269 is a critical Trend Micro Smart Protection Server vulnerability involving multiple directory traversal flaws. The issue affects Smart Protection Server 2.5 before build 2200, 2.6 before build 2106, and 3.0 before build 1330. According to the published vulnerability description, a remote attacker can use the tmpfname parameter in several log management handlers, and the tf parameter in wcs_bwlists_handler.php, to read or delete arbitrary files. The NVD rates the issue 9.1/CRITICAL with a network attack vector and no user interaction required.

Vendor
Trendmicro
Product
Smart Protection Server
CVSS
CRITICAL 9.1
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-01-30
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-01-30
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Administrators and security teams running Trend Micro Smart Protection Server, especially installations on affected 2.5, 2.6, or 3.0 builds. Teams responsible for file integrity, log systems, and perimeter security monitoring should treat this as high priority because the flaw enables remote file access and deletion.

Technical summary

NVD describes CVE-2016-6269 as multiple CWE-22 directory traversal vulnerabilities in Trend Micro Smart Protection Server. The vulnerable entry points are log_mgt_adhocquery_ajaxhandler.php, log_mgt_ajaxhandler.php, and wcs_bwlists_handler.php, with attack input delivered through the tmpfname or tf parameters. Successful exploitation can allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to traverse directories and access or remove arbitrary files on the server. The published CVSS v3.1 vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.

Defensive priority

Critical. This is a remotely reachable, no-authentication issue with high confidentiality and integrity impact. Because arbitrary file read and delete are both possible, exposed systems should be prioritized for patching or service isolation immediately.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade Trend Micro Smart Protection Server to a fixed build: 2.5 build 2200 or later, 2.6 build 2106 or later, or 3.0 build 1330 or later, as applicable.
  • Verify internet or internal network exposure of the affected PHP handlers and restrict access to the management interface.
  • Review logs and file-integrity alerts for unexpected access patterns involving the listed handlers and parameters.
  • Validate that the vendor advisory and remediation guidance have been applied in the deployed environment.
  • If immediate patching is not possible, isolate the server at the network layer and limit administrative access to trusted hosts only.

Evidence notes

The vulnerability description and affected versions come from the supplied NVD record and match the published vendor reference. NVD lists the weakness as CWE-22 and assigns CVSS v3.1 9.1/CRITICAL with AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. The source corpus also includes a Trend Micro vendor advisory reference for mitigation and a third-party technical writeup reference. No KEV record was supplied for this CVE.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2016-6269 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-6269

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2016-6269 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6269

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.