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KernelOperating system · Insyde

CVE-2022-29275

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.1.05.17.21 / 5.2.05.27.21 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
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
In UsbCoreDxe, untrusted input may allow SMRAM or OS memory tampering Use of untrusted pointers could allow OS or SMRAM memory tampering leading to escalation of privileges. This issue was discovered by Insyde during security review. It was fixed in: Kernel 5.0: version 05.09.21 Kernel 5.1: version 05.17.21 Kernel 5.2: version 05.27.21 Kernel 5.3: version 05.36.21 Kernel 5.4: version 05.44.21 Kernel 5.5: version 05.52.21 https://www.insyde.com/security-pledge/SA-2022058

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

UsbCoreDxe, a UEFI USB driver component in Insyde firmware, contains a vulnerability involving the use of untrusted pointers. This flaw can be exploited to write to arbitrary memory locations, potentially corrupting either System Management RAM (SMRAM) used for System Management Mode (SMM) or operating system memory, leading to privilege escalation.

MitigationUpdate Insyde UEFI firmware to one of the patched versions: Kernel 5.0 to 05.09.21, Kernel 5.1 to 05.17.21, Kernel 5.2 to 05.27.21, Kernel 5.3 to 05.36.21, Kernel 5.4 to 05.44.21, or Kernel 5.5 to 05.52.21.

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
KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 5.0, <= 5.0.05.09.21>= 5.1, < 5.1.05.17.21>= 5.2, < 5.2.05.27.21>= 5.3, < 5.3.05.36.21>= 5.4, < 5.4.05.44.21>= 5.5, < 5.5.05.52.21

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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 the Insyde Kernel version in the UEFI firmware
    Run `dmidecode -s bios-version` or check the BIOS/UEFI setup screen under 'BIOS Information' or 'Firmware Version'. On Linux, you can also try `cat /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version` if available.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: 5.0.x through 5.0.05.09.21, 5.1.x through 5.1.05.17.20, 5.2.x through 5.2.05.27.20, 5.3.x through 5.3.05.36.20, 5.4.x through 5.4.05.44.20, or 5.5.x through 5.5.05.52.20 (versions below the patched thresholds).
  2. Confirm the system uses Insyde firmware
    Run `dmidecode -s system-manufacturer` and look for 'Insyde' or check `cat /sys/class/dmi/id/sys_vendor`. Alternatively, examine the BIOS/UEFI setup screen for the vendor name.
    Affected if The manufacturer is not Insyde (the vulnerability is specific to Insyde UsbCoreDxe in Insyde firmware).
  3. Check if the USB stack is loaded or active
    This is a UEFI driver vulnerability in the USB stack. The vulnerability exists in the UsbCoreDxe driver itself; no specific USB device needs to be connected for the flaw to be present in the firmware code. The presence of the vulnerable driver can be confirmed only through firmware analysis or version check.
    Affected if Not applicable as a detection step - the vulnerable code exists regardless of runtime USB activity. Version check in step 1 is the primary indicator.

A system is affected if it runs Insyde UEFI firmware with Kernel version 5.0 through 5.0.05.09.21, 5.1 through 5.1.05.17.20, 5.2 through 5.2.05.27.20, 5.3 through 5.3.05.36.20, 5.4 through 5.4.05.44.20, or 5.5 through 5.5.05.52.20 (i.e., any version below the patched thresholds within those ranges).

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 5.1.05.17.21 / 5.2.05.27.21 / 5.3.05.36.21 or later
Fixed in 5.1.05.17.215.2.05.27.215.3.05.36.21
Interim mitigation

Update Insyde UEFI firmware to one of the patched versions: Kernel 5.0 to 05.09.21, Kernel 5.1 to 05.17.21, Kernel 5.2 to 05.27.21, Kernel 5.3 to 05.36.21, Kernel 5.4 to 05.44.21, or Kernel 5.5 to 05.52.21.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Insyde Kernel 5.0:05.09.21+, 5.1:05.17.21+, 5.2:05.27.21+, 5.3:05.36.21+, 5.4:05.44.21+, or 5.5:05.52.21+ depending on your current branch

  1. 1. Identify the current Insyde kernel version installed on the affected system by checking the UEFI/BIOS firmware version
  2. 2. Based on the kernel version in use, upgrade to the fixed version: For Kernel 5.0, upgrade to version 05.09.21 or later; For Kernel 5.1, upgrade to version 05.17.21 or later; For Kernel 5.2, upgrade to version 05.27.21 or later; For Kernel 5.3, upgrade to version 05.36.21 or later; For Kernel 5.4, upgrade to version 05.44.21 or later; For Kernel 5.5, upgrade to version 05.52.21 or later
  3. 3. Obtain the firmware update from the system vendor (OEM) or Insyde directly, as UEFI firmware updates are typically provided through vendor-specific channels
  4. 4. Apply the firmware update following the vendor's standard UEFI/BIOS update procedure
Caveat UEFI firmware updates carry a risk of bricking the device if interrupted; ensure stable power and follow vendor update instructions precisely

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

Fix this in Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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

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Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-29275 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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