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Alienware Area 51m R1 FirmwareOperating system · Dell

CVE-2022-22567

MEDIUM · 5.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.6.0 / 1.6.2 or later.
See remediation →
53/100
Remediation priority · Moderate
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
Select Dell Client Commercial and Consumer platforms are vulnerable to an insufficient verification of data authenticity vulnerability. An authenticated malicious user may exploit this vulnerability in order to install modified BIOS firmware.

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

Dell client platforms have insufficient verification of data authenticity in the BIOS update mechanism. An authenticated attacker with valid credentials can install modified BIOS firmware by bypassing the authenticity checks, potentially allowing persistent firmware-level compromise.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied BIOS firmware updates from Dell that address the insufficient verification vulnerability. Ensure only cryptographically signed BIOS firmware can be installed.

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
Alienware Area 51m R1 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.16.0
Alienware Area 51m R2 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.11.0
Alienware M15 R3 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.12.0
Alienware M15 R4 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.6.2
Alienware M15 R6 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.6.0> 1.6.0, < 1.8.0
Alienware M17 R3 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.12.0
Alienware M17 R4 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.6.2
Chengming 3990 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.6.0

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
Low

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

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 the exact Dell system model
    Run 'dmidecode -s system-product-name' on Linux or 'wmic computersystem get model' on Windows. Alternatively, check the BIOS setup or boot screen for the model name.
    Affected if The model is not one of the affected Alienware or Chengming models listed in the CVE (Area 51m R1/R2, M15 R3/R4/R6, M17 R3/R4, Chengming 3990).
  2. Retrieve the current BIOS firmware version
    Run 'dmidecode -s bios-version' on Linux or 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' on Windows. Alternatively, access the BIOS setup (F2 at boot) and check the BIOS version information.
    Affected if The command fails to return a BIOS version or returns an unexpected value.
  3. Compare the installed version against affected ranges
    Match your system model and BIOS version to the affected ranges: Area 51m R1 < 1.16.0, Area 51m R2 < 1.11.0, M15 R3 < 1.12.0, M15 R4 < 1.6.2, M15 R6 < 1.6.0 OR > 1.6.0 AND < 1.8.0, M17 R3 < 1.12.0, M17 R4 < 1.6.2, Chengming 3990 < 1.6.0. Note that M15 R6 is affected at ALL versions except 1.6.0 and >=1.8.0.
    Affected if The installed BIOS version falls within any of the specified version ranges for your model.
  4. Verify if BIOS update mechanism is accessible
    Check if Dell BIOS update tools (such as Dell Command Update, SupportAssist, or the BIOS flash utility) are installed and functional on the system. Attempt to access the BIOS update interface through the OS vendor tools or boot-time options.
    Affected if The BIOS update mechanism is accessible without additional authentication controls, or if authentication controls exist but can be bypassed.

You are affected if your Dell system model matches one of the Alienware or Chengming models listed and the installed BIOS version falls within the specified vulnerable version ranges for that model.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.6.0 / 1.6.2 / 1.8.0 or later
Fixed in 1.6.01.6.21.8.0
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied BIOS firmware updates from Dell that address the insufficient verification vulnerability. Ensure only cryptographically signed BIOS firmware can be installed.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIOS firmware version 1.16.0 (Area 51m R1), 1.11.0 (Area 51m R2), 1.12.0 (M15 R3/M17 R3), 1.6.2 (M15 R4/M17 R4), 1.8.0 (M15 R6), or 1.6.0 (Chengming 3990) depending on model

  1. 1. Identify the exact model of your Dell/Alienware system by running 'systeminfo' or checking the system label
  2. 2. Determine the current BIOS version by opening Dell SupportAssist or BIOS setup (F2 during boot)
  3. 3. Visit Dell's support website at www.dell.com and enter your service tag or search for your model
  4. 4. Navigate to the Drivers & Downloads section, then filter by 'BIOS'
  5. 5. Download the latest BIOS update that matches or exceeds the fixed version for your 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 (or 1.6.0), M17 R3 = 1.12.0, M17 R4 = 1.6.2, Chengming 3990 = 1.6.0
  6. 6. Run the BIOS update executable while connected to AC power; do not interrupt the update process
  7. 7. Allow the system to restart and complete the BIOS flashing operation
Caveat BIOS updates carry a risk of system incompatibility; ensure correct model number and current version before flashing; do not interrupt power during update

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Alienware Area 51m R1 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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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-2022-22567 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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