Last updated at Wed, 15 Jun 2022 17:59:06 GMT

On May 30, 2022, Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) published a blog on CVE-2022-30190, a vulnerability in the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (msdt) in Windows. Microsoft’s advisory on CVE-2022-30190 indicates that exploitation has been detected in the wild. The vulnerability was unpatched at time of writing.

According to Microsoft, CVE-2022-30190 is a remote code execution vulnerability that exists when MSDT is called using the URL protocol from a calling application such as Word. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can run arbitrary code with the privileges of the calling application. The attacker can then install programs, view, change, or delete data, or create new accounts in the context allowed by the user’s rights. Workarounds are available in Microsoft’s blog.

Rapid7’s vulnerability research team has a full technical analysis of CVE-2022-30190 in AttackerKB. The flaw requires user interaction to exploit, looks similar to many other vulnerabilities that necessitate a user opening or previewing an attachment, and appears to leverage a vector described in 2020. Despite the description, it is not a true “remote code execution” vulnerability.

Mitigation guidance

Windows customers should install the June 14, 2022 update to remediate CVE-2022-30190. Before a patch was available, Microsoft's guidance was to disable the MSDT URL protocol as specified in their advisory.

Rapid7 customers

InsightVM and Nexpose customers can assess their exposure to CVE-2022-30190 with an authenticated vulnerability check in the June 15 Patch Tuesday release. An authenticated vulnerability check that looked for the mitigation was available in the May 31 content release.

InsightIDR customers have a new detection rule added to their library to identify attacks related to this vulnerability:

  • Suspicious Process - Microsoft Office App Spawns MSDT.exe

We recommend that you review your settings for this detection rule and confirm it is turned on and set to an appropriate rule action and priority for your organization.

NEVER MISS A BLOG

Get the latest stories, expertise, and news about security today.