CVE-2022-30192: Microsoft Edge Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2022-30192 Overview

CVE-2022-30192 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability affecting Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based). Microsoft assigned this issue a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.3, reflecting a network attack vector that requires user interaction and a scope change across security boundaries. Successful exploitation can result in high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability within the affected browser context. The vulnerability was published to the National Vulnerability Database on June 29, 2022, and Microsoft has released fixes through its security update guide.

Critical Impact
An attacker who convinces a user to visit a crafted web page can elevate privileges within Microsoft Edge, breaking out of expected browser sandboxing boundaries and gaining higher-impact code execution against the host.

Affected Products

Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) — versions prior to the June 2022 security update
Gentoo Linux packages tracked under GLSA 202208-25
Downstream applications embedding the vulnerable Edge Chromium components

Discovery Timeline

2022-06-29 - CVE-2022-30192 published to NVD
2025-01-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-30192

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2022-30192 is classified as an elevation of privilege issue in Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based). Microsoft's advisory does not publish a specific CWE classification, and NVD lists it as NVD-CWE-noinfo. The CVSS vector indicates network reachability with high attack complexity and required user interaction, typically meaning the victim must navigate to attacker-controlled content. The scope change component signals that exploitation crosses a trust boundary, allowing the attacker to influence resources beyond the vulnerable component itself.

Within the browser, an elevation of privilege flaw of this nature usually allows an attacker to break out of the rendering sandbox or to gain access to higher-privileged browser components. The result is execution or data access at a level the web origin should not control.

Root Cause

Microsoft has not published detailed root cause information for this vulnerability. The advisory acknowledges an elevation of privilege condition in Edge Chromium without disclosing the specific component, function, or input handling defect involved. Refer to the Microsoft CVE-2022-30192 Update Guide for vendor-confirmed technical details.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires an attacker to entice a user to load attacker-controlled web content using a vulnerable build of Microsoft Edge. Once the user interacts with the page, the vulnerability allows the attacker to elevate privileges within the browser process boundary. The high attack complexity rating indicates that conditions outside the attacker's direct control must be satisfied for reliable exploitation. The current EPSS probability is 1.564%, placing this CVE in the 81st percentile of likelihood-of-exploitation among published vulnerabilities.

No public proof-of-concept exploit has been catalogued for CVE-2022-30192, and it is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-30192

Indicators of Compromise

Microsoft Edge processes spawning unexpected child processes such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or script interpreters following web navigation
Browser process writes to sensitive directories like %AppData%, %ProgramData%, or auto-run registry keys
Outbound connections from msedge.exe to recently registered or low-reputation domains immediately preceding suspicious local activity

Detection Strategies

Inventory Microsoft Edge versions across managed endpoints and flag any builds older than the June 2022 security update referenced in the Microsoft advisory
Hunt for anomalous parent-child process relationships originating from msedge.exe that deviate from baseline browsing behavior
Correlate browser telemetry with endpoint detection events for filesystem and registry modifications occurring within seconds of page loads

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward Edge process telemetry, command-line arguments, and module loads to a centralized analytics pipeline for retrospective hunting
Monitor patch compliance reports to confirm Edge updates are deployed across all user segments, including remote and BYOD endpoints
Track web proxy logs for navigation to URLs flagged by threat intelligence as exploit delivery infrastructure

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-30192

Immediate Actions Required

Update Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) to the version published in the Microsoft Security Response Center advisory for CVE-2022-30192
Verify automatic updates are enabled for Edge across managed devices using Group Policy or Microsoft Intune
For Gentoo systems, apply the package updates described in Gentoo GLSA 202208-25

Patch Information

Microsoft addressed CVE-2022-30192 through its standard Edge channel updates. Administrators should consult the Microsoft Security Advisory CVE-2022-30192 for the exact fixed build number applicable to their channel. Linux distributions repackaging Chromium-derived components should track the Gentoo GLSA 202208-25 advisory and equivalent advisories from their upstream.

Workarounds

Restrict navigation to untrusted sites using web filtering or SmartScreen enforcement until patches are deployed
Apply browser hardening policies that disable unnecessary features and constrain extensions, reducing the available attack surface
Educate users to avoid clicking unverified links, as exploitation requires user interaction with attacker-controlled content

bash

# Verify Microsoft Edge version on Windows endpoints
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Edge\BLBeacon" /v version

# Force Edge update check via Group Policy on managed devices
gpupdate /force