CVE-2021-36342
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 · uneditedDell BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability. A local authenticated malicious user may potentially exploit this vulnerability by using an SMI to gain arbitrary code execution in SMRAM.
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 confidenceDell BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability where a local authenticated malicious user can exploit via a System Management Interrupt (SMI) to achieve arbitrary code execution in SMRAM (System Management RAM), which is a protected memory region used during System Management Mode.
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< 1.24.3< 1.22.0< 1.18.2< 1.15.1< 1.10.1< 1.5.0< 1.24.3< 1.22.0CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify your Dell Precision modelRun 'systeminfo' or check the system label/BIOS for the exact model (e.g., Precision 7510, 7520, 7530, 7540, 7550, 7560, 7710, 7720)Affected if Model is not one of the eight affected Precision models listed in the CVE (7510, 7520, 7530, 7540, 7550, 7560, 7710, 7720)
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Check installed BIOS firmware versionRun 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' from command prompt, or check BIOS setup under the 'BIOS Version' or 'BIOS Revision' fieldAffected if Unable to retrieve BIOS version information from the system
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Compare version against affected thresholdCompare your installed BIOS version to the affected threshold for your model: Precision 7510 < 1.24.3, Precision 7520 < 1.22.0, Precision 7530 < 1.18.2, Precision 7540 < 1.15.1, Precision 7550 < 1.10.1, Precision 7560 < 1.5.0, Precision 7710 < 1.24.3, Precision 7720 < 1.22.0Affected if Installed version is lower than the specified threshold for your exact model (e.g., 1.20.0 on a Precision 7520)
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Verify local authenticated access existsConfirm the system allows local user authentication (standard user account or admin account) - this is typically true by default on Windows systemsAffected if No local user accounts exist on the system (highly unlikely for typical endpoints)
You are affected if you are running a Dell Precision 7510, 7520, 7530, 7540, 7550, 7560, 7710, or 7720 with BIOS firmware version below the specified threshold for your model.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
dbcve · scoped1.5.01.10.11.15.1
Apply the Dell BIOS firmware update provided by the vendor to address the input validation vulnerability. Verify the update does not introduce regressions in systems where it is deployed.
BIOS firmware versions 1.24.3 (Precision 7510/7710), 1.22.0 (Precision 7520/7720), 1.18.2 (Precision 7530), 1.15.1 (Precision 7540), 1.10.1 (Precision 7550), or 1.5.0 (Precision 7560)
- Identify the specific Dell Precision model from the affected list (7510, 7520, 7530, 7540, 7550, 7560, 7710, or 7720)
- Navigate to Dell's support website (www.dell.com) and enter the Service Tag or search for the specific Precision model
- Locate the Drivers & Downloads section for BIOS updates
- Download the BIOS update file for the fixed version: Precision 7510/7710: 1.24.3, Precision 7520/7720: 1.22.0, Precision 7530: 1.18.2, Precision 7540: 1.15.1, Precision 7550: 1.10.1, Precision 7560: 1.5.0
- Ensure the system is connected to AC power and not running on battery alone
- Run the downloaded BIOS update executable or flash the BIOS following Dell's provided instructions
- Allow the BIOS update to complete without interrupting power - do not shut down or restart during the flash process
- After the update completes, the system will automatically restart
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-36342 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-36342 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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