CVE-2022-22566
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 · uneditedSelect Dell Client Commercial and Consumer platforms contain a pre-boot direct memory access (DMA) vulnerability. An authenticated attacker with physical access to the system may potentially exploit this vulnerability in order to execute arbitrary code on the device.
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 · high confidenceA pre-boot DMA vulnerability in Dell client platforms allows an authenticated attacker with physical access to directly read/write memory before the operating system loads, bypassing OS-level security controls to execute arbitrary code at the firmware level.
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< 1.16.0< 1.11.0< 1.12.0< 1.6.2< 1.6.0> 1.6.0, < 1.8.0< 1.12.0< 1.6.2< 1.6.0CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the system modelRun `dmidecode -s system-product-name` or check the system BIOS/information screen to confirm the exact model (e.g., Alienware Area 51m R1, Alienware M15 R6, Dell Chengming 3990)Affected if The model is NOT one of: Alienware Area 51m R1, Alienware Area 51m R2, Alienware M15 R3, Alienware M15 R4, Alienware M15 R6, Alienware M17 R3, Alienware M17 R4, or Dell Chengming 3990 (the system is not affected)
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Check the current firmware versionRun `dmidecode -s bios-version` or access the BIOS setup screen to view the firmware version installed on the systemAffected if The firmware version falls within the affected range for your specific model: Area 51m R1 < 1.16.0, Area 51m R2 < 1.11.0, M15 R3 < 1.12.0, M15 R4 < 1.6.2, M15 R6 < 1.8.0 (excluding 1.6.0), M17 R3 < 1.12.0, M17 R4 < 1.6.2, Chengming 3990 < 1.6.0
The system is affected if it is an Alienware Area 51m R1/R2, M15 R3/R4/R6, M17 R3/R4, or Dell Chengming 3990 with a firmware version lower than the specified threshold for that model, and the attacker has physical access to the device.
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 · scoped1.6.01.6.21.8.0
Apply Dell-provided firmware updates for affected platforms; ensure systems are physically secured and restrict unauthorized access to prevent exploitation.
Firmware >= 1.16.0 (Area 51m R1), >= 1.11.0 (Area 51m R2), >= 1.12.0 (M15 R3), >= 1.6.2 (M15 R4), >= 1.8.0 (M15 R6), >= 1.12.0 (M17 R3), >= 1.6.2 (M17 R4), >= 1.6.0 (Chengming 3990)
- Identify the exact current firmware version of the affected Dell/Alienware system
- Visit Dell's support website (www.dell.com) and navigate to the product support page for the specific model
- Download the latest firmware update corresponding to the fixed version (Area 51m R1: 1.16.0, Area 51m R2: 1.11.0, M15 R3: 1.12.0, M15 R4: 1.6.2, M15 R6: 1.8.0, M17 R3: 1.12.0, M17 R4: 1.6.2, Chengming 3990: 1.6.0)
- Follow Dell's standard firmware update procedure, typically involving running the executable while the system is plugged into AC power
- Allow the firmware update to complete without interruption; do not power off the system during the flashing process
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-22566 — 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-2022-22566 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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