CVE-2022-26859
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 a race condition vulnerability. A local attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious input via SMI in order to bypass security checks during SMM.
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 race condition in Dell BIOS allows a local attacker with existing code execution capability to send malicious input via System Management Interface (SMI) to bypass security checks during System Management Mode (SMM), potentially achieving code execution at the highest privilege 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< 1.8.0< 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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.
-
Identify your Dell system modelRun 'systeminfo' on Windows or check /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name on Linux, or look at the physical system labelAffected if The system model is one of: Alienware M15 R6, Chengming 3980, Chengming 3988, Chengming 3990, Chengming 3991, G15 5510, G15 5511, or G3 15 3590
-
Determine your current BIOS firmware versionOn Windows, run 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' or check in BIOS setup under 'BIOS Information'. On Linux, run 'dmidecode -s bios-version'Affected if The installed BIOS version is lower than the affected threshold for your model (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)
-
Verify if the system has SMM memory write protection enabledCheck BIOS setup for 'SMM Memory Protection' or 'Lock BIOS Memory' settings. On Windows, some Dell utilities like 'Dell Command | Configure' can expose this. On Linux, check 'cat /sys/firmware/efi/vars' for SMM-related variables if accessibleAffected if SMM memory protection is disabled or not available in BIOS settings, making the race condition more easily exploitable
-
Determine if untrusted code execution already exists on the systemReview antivirus alerts, endpoint detection logs, and process activity for signs of compromise. The vulnerability requires an attacker to already have code execution capability on the hostAffected if Evidence exists of an attacker with existing code execution, as this CVE is exploitable only after achieving initial code execution to send malicious SMI requests
You are affected if your Dell system model matches one of the eight listed products AND your BIOS firmware version is below the specified threshold for that 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 · scoped1.8.01.8.21.9.0
Apply Dell BIOS/firmware updates to affected systems. This is a firmware-level vulnerability requiring BIOS update deployment rather than software patching.
BIOS firmware >= 1.8.0 (Alienware M15 R6), >= 2.21.0 (Chengming 3980), >= 1.9.0 (Chengming 3988), >= 1.8.2 (Chengming 3990/3991), >= 1.8.0 (G15 5510), >= 1.9.0 (G15 5511), >= 1.16.0 (G3 15 3590)
- Identify the specific Dell product model and its Service Tag from the system label or BIOS information
- Navigate to dell.com/support and enter the Service Tag or product model to access the product support page
- Locate the 'BIOS' or 'Firmware' section under 'Drivers & Downloads'
- Download the latest BIOS update that meets or exceeds the fixed version for your specific model (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)
- Close all running applications and connect the system to AC power
- Run the downloaded BIOS update executable or create a bootable USB if using the 'BIOS Flash' alternative
- Follow the on-screen prompts and do not interrupt the update process; the system will automatically reboot
- After the update completes, verify the BIOS version matches the intended fixed version in BIOS setup
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
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-26859 — 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-2022-26859 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data