CVE-2022-26860
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 a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability. A local attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious input via SMI to bypass security checks resulting in arbitrary code execution in 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 · moderate confidenceDell BIOS versions contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability. A local attacker with privileged system access can send malicious input via the System Management Interface (SMI) to exploit this flaw, bypassing security checks and achieving arbitrary code execution in System Management Mode (SMM).
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 modelRun 'systeminfo' (Windows) or check /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name (Linux) or use 'sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name' to determine the exact Dell model numberAffected if The system is not one of: Alienware M15 R6, Chengming 3980, Chengming 3988, Chengming 3990, Chengming 3991, G15 5510, G15 5511, or G3 15 3590 - if so, this CVE does not apply
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Determine your current BIOS versionRun 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' (Windows) or check /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version (Linux) or use 'sudo dmidecode -s bios-version' to retrieve the installed BIOS firmware versionAffected if The BIOS version cannot be retrieved or is not displayed, making version comparison impossible
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Compare against affected version thresholdsCross-reference your identified model and retrieved BIOS version against the affected version thresholds: 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 < 1.16.0Affected if Your specific model is listed above AND the installed BIOS version is lower than the stated threshold version - this indicates the system is vulnerable
You are affected if your Dell system matches one of the eight listed models AND your installed BIOS firmware version is below the corresponding version threshold, meaning the System Management Interface (SMI) handler can be exploited for arbitrary code execution in SMM.
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-provided BIOS/firmware updates to all affected systems. Since this is a firmware-level vulnerability, there are no configuration workarounds; the vendor update is the only remediation path.
BIOS firmware 1.8.0 or later for Alienware M15 R6/G15 5510; 2.21.0 or later for Chengming 3980; 1.9.0 or later for Chengming 3988/G15 5511; 1.8.2 or later for Chengming 3990/3991; 1.16.0 or later for G3 15 3590
- 1. Identify the exact system model (e.g., Alienware M15 R6, G15 5510, etc.) from the affected products list
- 2. Power on the system and note the current BIOS firmware version (accessible via F2 boot menu or Dell Update utility)
- 3. Visit the Dell Support website at www.dell.com and enter the system Service Tag or product name to locate drivers and downloads
- 4. In the BIOS section, download the latest BIOS update package for the specific model
- 5. Run the BIOS update executable or copy the .exe to a USB flash drive for offline update
- 6. Connect AC power and ensure the system is plugged in (do not interrupt BIOS update)
- 7. Execute the BIOS update and follow on-screen prompts; the system will reboot and flash the new BIOS
- 8. After update completes, verify the BIOS version matches or exceeds the fixed version (1.8.0 for M15 R6/G15 5510, 2.21.0 for Chengming 3980, 1.9.0 for Chengming 3988/G15 5511, 1.8.2 for Chengming 3990/3991, 1.16.0 for G3 15 3590)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-26860 — 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-2022-26860 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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