CVE-2022-30190: "Follina" Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool Vulnerability

On May 30, 2022, Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) published a blog on CVE-2022-30190, an unpatched 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.

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

In the absence of a patch, disable the MSDT URL protocol as specified in Microsoft’s advisory.

Rapid7 customers

InsightVM and Nexpose customers can assess their exposure to CVE-2022-30190 with an authenticated vulnerability check 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.

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