CVE-2022-48077
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2022-48077 is a DLL hijacking vulnerability in Genymotion Desktop that allows attackers to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code by placing a malicious DLL in a location where the application searches for legitimate DLLs. This affects users running Genymotion Desktop version 3.3.2 on Windows systems. Attackers could gain elevated privileges on the system if they can place a crafted DLL in a vulnerable directory.
💻 Affected Systems
- Genymotion Desktop
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with administrative privileges, allowing installation of malware, data theft, or persistence mechanisms.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data or system resources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper file permissions prevent DLL placement or if application runs with minimal privileges.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access to place malicious DLL. Public proof-of-concept demonstrates the vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 3.3.3 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.genymotion.com/download/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download latest Genymotion Desktop from official website. 2. Uninstall current version. 3. Install updated version. 4. Restart system if prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict DLL search paths
windowsUse Windows policies or application controls to restrict where Genymotion can load DLLs from
Use Windows AppLocker or similar to restrict DLL loading to trusted directories
Run with minimal privileges
windowsConfigure Genymotion to run with standard user privileges instead of administrative rights
Right-click Genymotion shortcut > Properties > Advanced > Run as standard user
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove unnecessary file write permissions to directories where Genymotion searches for DLLs
- Monitor for suspicious DLL files being created in Genymotion installation directories
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Genymotion version in Help > About. If version is 3.3.2, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check Help > About in Genymotion Desktop applicationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Genymotion version is 3.3.3 or later in Help > About menu.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs showing DLL loading from unusual locations
- Process creation events for Genymotion with suspicious parent processes
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Genymotion process
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent_process_name contains 'genymotion' AND (process_name contains 'cmd' OR process_name contains 'powershell')