CVE-2022-35775 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability affecting Microsoft Azure Site Recovery's VMware to Azure replication feature, specifically version 9.0. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269, which relates to improper privileges or permissions management. The flaw allows an attacker with existing high-level privileges (PR:H) but no user interaction (UI:N) to escalate their privileges further, potentially gaining unauthorized control over critical components of the Azure Site Recovery service. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), meaning exploitation can occur remotely without physical access. The vulnerability impacts the integrity and availability of the system, as indicated by the CVSS vector (I:H/A:H), but does not affect confidentiality (C:N). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), so the impact is limited to the vulnerable component itself. Although the CVSS score is 6.5 (medium severity), the exploit requires prior high privileges, which somewhat limits the ease of exploitation. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no official patches are linked in the provided data, suggesting that mitigation may rely on configuration or access control until a patch is available. This vulnerability could allow attackers to manipulate replication processes or disrupt disaster recovery operations, which are critical for business continuity in cloud environments.

For European organizations relying on Azure Site Recovery to replicate VMware workloads to Azure, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to operational integrity and availability. Elevation of privilege within the recovery service could allow malicious insiders or attackers who have already compromised accounts with elevated privileges to further escalate their access, potentially leading to unauthorized modifications or disruptions of disaster recovery workflows. This could result in data loss, extended downtime, or failure to recover critical systems during outages. Given the reliance on cloud disaster recovery solutions in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure across Europe, the impact could be substantial, affecting compliance with regulations like GDPR and sector-specific mandates. The lack of confidentiality impact reduces the risk of data leakage directly from this vulnerability, but the potential for service disruption and integrity compromise remains a critical concern.

European organizations should implement strict access controls and least privilege principles to limit the number of users with high-level privileges in Azure Site Recovery environments. Regularly auditing and monitoring privileged accounts for unusual activity can help detect attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Network segmentation and firewall rules should restrict access to Azure Site Recovery management interfaces to trusted IP ranges. Until an official patch is available, organizations can consider disabling or restricting VMware to Azure replication features if not essential. Employing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all privileged accounts reduces the risk of credential compromise. Additionally, organizations should stay informed through Microsoft's security advisories for any forthcoming patches or mitigations. Testing disaster recovery plans regularly ensures that any disruption caused by exploitation can be quickly identified and remediated.