dbcve.org
Alienware M15 R6 FirmwareOperating system · Dell

CVE-2022-26861

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.8.0 / 1.8.2 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Dell BIOS versions contain an Insecure Automated Optimization vulnerability. A local authenticated malicious user could exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious input via SMI to obtain arbitrary code execution 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 confidence

Dell BIOS contains an Insecure Automated Optimization vulnerability allowing a local authenticated user to send malicious input via SMI (System Management Interrupt) to achieve arbitrary code execution in SMM (System Management Mode). This is a firmware-level privilege escalation issue with high severity impact.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied BIOS/UEFI firmware update from Dell to patch the vulnerability. This requires updating the system BIOS on all affected machines.

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 M15 R6 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.8.0
Chengming 3980 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 2.21.0
Chengming 3988 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.9.0
Chengming 3990 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.8.2
Chengming 3991 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.8.2
G15 5510 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.8.0
G15 5511 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.9.0
G3 15 3590 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.16.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify your Dell system model
    Locate the system model number on the device chassis or check via system information utilities (such as dmidecode -s system-product-name on Linux, or systeminfo on Windows, or the BIOS setup menu)
    Affected if The model matches any of the affected products: Alienware M15 R6, Chengming 3980, Chengming 3988, Chengming 3990, Chengming 3991, G15 5510, G15 5511, or G3 15 3590
  2. Retrieve the installed BIOS firmware version
    Check the current BIOS/UEFI firmware version installed on the system. Common methods include: accessing the BIOS setup menu (press F2 at boot), running version check utilities provided by Dell, or using system information commands (such as dmidecode -s bios-version on Linux, or wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion on Windows)
    Affected if A firmware version is returned that can be compared against the affected ranges
  3. Compare installed version against affected ranges
    Match your retrieved firmware version to the affected version ranges for your specific model: 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
    Affected if The installed version is lower than the version threshold listed for your model, meaning the system is running a vulnerable firmware version

You are affected if your Dell system model matches one of the listed products AND your installed BIOS firmware version is below the specified version threshold 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 1.8.0 / 1.8.2 / 1.9.0 or later
Fixed in 1.8.01.8.21.9.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied BIOS/UEFI firmware update from Dell to patch the vulnerability. This requires updating the system BIOS on all affected machines.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIOS firmware version 1.8.0, 1.9.0, 1.16.0, 1.8.2, or 2.21.0 (specific to each model)

  1. 1. Identify the exact Dell system model (e.g., Alienware M15 R6, G15 5510, etc.) from the affected product list
  2. 2. Navigate to the Dell support website (www.dell.com) and enter the system Service Tag or model name
  3. 3. Locate the BIOS update section for the specific system
  4. 4. Download the BIOS update file corresponding to the fixed version (1.8.0, 1.9.0, 1.16.0, 1.8.2, or 2.21.0 depending on model)
  5. 5. Run the BIOS update executable or save to a USB drive for flashing via Dell Update or BIOS setup
  6. 6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the BIOS update; the system will reboot during the process
  7. 7. Verify the BIOS version has been updated to the fixed release after completion
Caveat BIOS updates carry a risk of system damage if interrupted; ensure stable power and do not interrupt the flashing process

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

Fix this in Alienware M15 R6 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2022-26861 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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