dbcve.org
Bios Efi DriverApplication · Lenovo

CVE-2016-5729

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2016-06-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Lenovo BIOS EFI Driver allows local administrators to execute arbitrary code with System Management Mode (SMM) privileges via unspecified vectors.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Lenovo BIOS EFI Driver contains a vulnerability allowing local administrators to execute arbitrary code with System Management Mode (SMM) privileges. SMM operates at the highest privilege level in x86 processors, providing near-complete control over the system. The specific attack vectors are unspecified in available documentation.

MitigationApply the Lenovo BIOS update for affected systems. In enterprise environments, deploy via management tooling with proper rollback procedures and test patches on representative hardware before fleet-wide rollout.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Bios Efi DriverApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify system manufacturer
    Run 'dmidecode -s system-manufacturer' on Linux or 'wmic computersystem get manufacturer' on Windows to confirm the vendor
    Affected if The manufacturer is not Lenovo (this vulnerability only affects Lenovo systems)
  2. Confirm Lenovo BIOS/EFI component
    Run 'dmidecode -t bios' on Linux or 'wmic bios get smbiosversion' on Windows to retrieve the BIOS version string; look for 'Lenovo' or 'LENOVO' in the BIOS vendor field using 'dmidecode -s bios-vendor'
    Affected if The BIOS vendor field does not contain Lenovo branding
  3. Check installed BIOS version
    Run 'dmidecode -s bios-version' on Linux or check 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\BIOS' (SystemVersion) on Windows to obtain the exact BIOS version number
    Affected if Any Lenovo BIOS version is installed (all versions of the Lenovo BIOS EFI Driver are affected per the CVE)
  4. Verify SMM access vectors
    Inspect system configuration for exposed SMM interfaces via 'dmidecode' output under Type 0 (BIOS) and Type 127 (OEM-specific); check for debug or test interfaces in UEFI settings if accessible
    Affected if SMM communication interfaces are exposed or debug features are enabled in UEFI/BIOS settings

If the system is a Lenovo device with any BIOS version, the Lenovo BIOS EFI Driver vulnerability is present because all versions are affected.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Lenovo BIOS update for affected systems. In enterprise environments, deploy via management tooling with proper rollback procedures and test patches on representative hardware before fleet-wide rollout.

Fix this in Bios Efi Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,000
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-5729 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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