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Microsoft Power BI is a popular business analytics tool, used globally to visualize and share insights from data. While it's a trusted platform, even the biggest names aren't immune to security issues. In early 2022, Microsoft published CVE-2022-23292, a spoofing vulnerability in Power BI. This post gives you an easy-to-understand explanation of the issue, how attackers might exploit it, and what you should do to stay safe.

What Is CVE-2022-23292?

CVE-2022-23292 is a vulnerability identified in the Microsoft Power BI service. It allows an attacker to spoof or impersonate the identity or actions of another user. As a result, a malicious actor could trick users or services into believing that data or reports come from a trusted source, when in fact, they have been tampered with.

Microsoft’s Official Description

> “A spoofing vulnerability exists in Microsoft Power BI that could allow an attacker to present data or reports as coming from a trusted source.”

Severity: Moderate

Impact: If exploited, it could result in phishing, misleading insights, or unauthorized data exposure.

How Does the Vulnerability Work?

Spoofing vulnerabilities like this typically relate to how software handles identity verification or validation of content. In Power BI, this could mean:

- External links in dashboards/reports could be manipulated.

Data provenance could be faked.

For CVE-2022-23292, the vulnerability existed in how Power BI handled embedded web content. Attackers could trick a Power BI report to load or show malicious content under the guise of a trusted workspace.

A Simple Attack Scenario

1. An attacker creates a Power BI report embedding a malicious external web page (say, a fake Microsoft login form).

They share the report with victims, posing as a legitimate business dashboard.

3. Users open the report and click on a seemingly genuine link, entering their credentials or sensitive info.

Minimal Code Snippet Simulating the Exploit

To understand this visually, here's a simplified example of what an attacker could do using a custom visual in Power BI before the patch.

<!-- Power BI custom visual HTML --!>
<iframe src="https://attacker.com/fake-login.html"; width="100%" height="400"></iframe>

If Power BI failed to properly sanitize or restrict the allowed origins for embedded content, this iframe can point to any external URL. The victim, trusting the report context, may interact with the malicious site.

Note: Modern Power BI now sets strong controls on embedded content, including custom visuals and external web content.

Data Stolen or Misleading Insight Gained

- Credentials are harvested, or users are tricked by falsified analytics/data.

Better validation of custom visuals and their permissions.

See Official Patch Info:
https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2022-23292

Be Cautious with Custom Visuals: Only use and allow visuals from trusted sources.

- Review Embedded Content Policies: Organization admins can restrict which external content is allowed in reports.
- Educate Users: Teach employees to recognize phishing attempts, especially inside trusted platforms.

Learn More

- Microsoft Security Response Center - CVE-2022-23292
- Power BI Security Documentation
- Exploit Details and Mitigation Steps (Zero Day Initiative)

Final Thoughts

While CVE-2022-23292 was of moderate severity, it shows that even trusted platforms can be abused if not carefully managed. If you work with Power BI, always be proactive about updates and security best practices—your data (and your team) will thank you.

For any business, trust but verify—especially when data and visuals are in play!

Timeline

Published on: 04/15/2022 19:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 04/21/2022 20:06:00 UTC