CVE-2022-26900
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) allows attackers to gain elevated privileges on affected systems. It affects users running vulnerable versions of Microsoft Edge on Windows systems. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code with higher privileges than intended.
💻 Affected Systems
- Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based)
📦 What is this software?
Edge Chromium by Microsoft
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with administrative privileges, allowing installation of malware, data theft, and persistent access.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation enabling attackers to bypass security controls, install unwanted software, or access restricted system resources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to security controls like application sandboxing, but still potential for local system manipulation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access or user interaction to trigger the vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Microsoft Edge version 101.0.1210.32 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-26900
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Microsoft Edge. 2. Click Settings (three dots) → Help and feedback → About Microsoft Edge. 3. Browser will automatically check for and install updates. 4. Restart Edge when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Edge via Group Policy
windowsTemporarily disable Microsoft Edge usage while awaiting patch deployment
gpedit.msc → Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Microsoft Edge → Set 'Allow Microsoft Edge to start and load the Start and New Tab page at Windows startup and each time Microsoft Edge is closed' to Disabled
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user privileges to standard user accounts to limit impact of privilege escalation
- Implement application control policies to prevent unauthorized software execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Edge version: edge://settings/help - if version is below 101.0.1210.32, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Start Edge and navigate to edge://settings/help or check 'About Microsoft Edge' in settingsVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Edge version is 101.0.1210.32 or higher via edge://settings/help📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs showing unexpected Edge process elevation
- Security logs with unusual privilege changes
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Edge processes with elevated privileges
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND ProcessName LIKE '%msedge.exe%' AND NewProcessName NOT LIKE '%msedge.exe%' AND IntegrityLevel='High'