CVE-2022-26858
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 versions contain an Improper Authentication vulnerability. A locally authenticated malicious user could potentially exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious input to an SMI in order to bypass security controls.
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 versions contain an Improper Authentication vulnerability where a locally authenticated malicious user can send malicious input to a System Management Interrupt (SMI) to bypass security controls.
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< 1.8.0< 2.21.0< 1.9.0< 1.8.2< 1.8.2< 1.8.0< 1.9.0< 1.16.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 system modelCheck the system label on the device casing, or run 'msinfo32' on Windows or 'sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name' on Linux to retrieve the exact model name.Affected if The model is not one of the following: Alienware M15 R6, Chengming 3980, Chengming 3988, Chengming 3990, Chengming 3991, G15 5510, G15 5511, or G3 15 3590.
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Retrieve the installed BIOS firmware versionOn Windows, run 'msinfo32' and look for 'BIOS Version' or use Dell SupportAssist. On Linux, run 'sudo dmidecode -s bios-version'. Alternatively, press F2 during boot to enter BIOS setup and view the version information.Affected if Unable to retrieve a BIOS version number from the system.
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Compare your BIOS version to affected thresholdsMatch your retrieved BIOS version against the following thresholds: Alienware M15 R6 < 1.8.0, Chengming 3980 < 2.21.0, Chengming 3988 < 1.9.0, Chengming 3990/3991 < 1.8.2, G15 5510 < 1.8.0, G15 5511 < 1.9.0, G3 15 3590 < 1.16.0.Affected if Your installed BIOS version is lower than the threshold for your specific model.
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Confirm local access to the systemVerify that an attacker with local authenticated access could execute code on the system, as the vulnerability requires a locally authenticated malicious user to send input to the System Management Interrupt (SMI).Affected if The system does not allow local user access or SMI is not accessible from the operating system level.
You are affected if you own any of the listed Dell models and your current BIOS firmware version is below the version threshold for that model, allowing a locally authenticated attacker to potentially bypass security controls via SMI.
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 · scoped1.8.01.8.21.9.0
Apply the Dell BIOS firmware update provided by Dell for affected versions. Updates are typically available through Dell's support website or Dell Update/SupportAssist tools.
Alienware M15 R6: 1.8.0+ | Chengming 3980: 2.21.0+ | Chengming 3988: 1.9.0+ | Chengming 3990: 1.8.2+ | Chengming 3991: 1.8.2+ | G15 5510: 1.8.0+ | G15 5511: 1.9.0+ | G3 15 3590: 1.16.0+
- 1. Identify the exact Dell laptop model and current firmware version by running 'dw diagnostics' or checking BIOS setup (press F2 on boot)
- 2. Download the latest Dell BIOS update from dell.com/support for your specific model number
- 3. Ensure the laptop is connected to AC power and do not interrupt the update process
- 4. Run the Dell BIOS update executable or use Dell Update (DellUpdate.exe) to apply the firmware
- 5. Reboot the system as prompted to complete the BIOS flash
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-26858 — 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-2022-26858 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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