CVE-2022-29279
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 · uneditedUse of a untrusted pointer allows tampering with SMRAM and OS memory in SdHostDriver and SdMmcDevice Use of a untrusted pointer allows tampering with SMRAM and OS memory in SdHostDriver and SdMmcDevice. This issue was discovered by Insyde during security review. It was fixed in: Kernel 5.0: version 05.09.17 Kernel 5.1: version 05.17.17 Kernel 5.2: version 05.27.17 Kernel 5.3: version 05.36.17 Kernel 5.4: version 05.44.17 Kernel 5.5: version 05.52.17 https://www.insyde.com/security-pledge/SA-2022062
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 confidenceThis is a UEFI firmware vulnerability in Insyde's SdHostDriver and SdMmcDevice components where an untrusted pointer is used without proper validation. This allows an attacker to tamper with SMRAM (System Management RAM) which can lead to SMM (System Management Mode) compromise, and also allows tampering with OS memory for arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability stems from the driver accepting a pointer from an untrusted source and using it to access memory without validation.
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>= 5.0, < 5.0.05.09.17>= 5.1, < 5.1.05.17.17>= 5.2, < 5.2.05.27.17>= 5.3, < 5.3.05.36.17>= 5.4, < 5.4.05.44.17>= 5.5, < 5.5.05.52.17CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Insyde UEFI firmware is in useCheck the system BIOS/UEFI setup or use 'dmidecode -s bios-vendor' and 'dmidecode -s bios-version' to identify if the firmware is from InsydeAffected if The vendor is not Insyde (different vendors like AMI, Phoenix, or Intel have their own firmware) - this CVE only applies to Insyde-based firmware
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Extract the Insyde Kernel version from firmwareAccess the UEFI setup menu and locate the Firmware Version or Kernel Version information typically found under the 'Main' or 'Information' tab; alternatively, inspect the firmware file or use vendor-specific tools if availableAffected if Unable to determine the Insyde Kernel version - the vulnerability status cannot be confirmed without this information
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Compare installed version against affected rangesCompare the extracted Insyde Kernel version to the following affected ranges: 5.0 to < 5.0.05.09.17, 5.1 to < 5.1.05.17.17, 5.2 to < 5.2.05.27.17, 5.3 to < 5.3.05.36.17, 5.4 to < 5.4.05.44.17, 5.5 to < 5.5.05.52.17Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges - the system is potentially affected
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Verify presence of SdHostDriver or SdMmcDevice componentsThese components are internal UEFI drivers for SD/MMC storage; check firmware release notes or use UEFI shell tools to enumerate loaded drivers if availableAffected if These drivers are present in the firmware - the untrusted pointer vulnerability can be triggered when these drivers handle SD/MMC card operations
The system is affected if it uses Insyde UEFI firmware with an Insyde Kernel version matching any of the six version ranges specified, since the vulnerability resides in the SdHostDriver and SdMmcDevice components that handle SD/MMC storage operations.
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 · scoped5.0.05.09.175.1.05.17.175.2.05.27.17
Apply the appropriate firmware update for the specific Kernel version (5.0-5.5) from Insyde as listed in the security advisory. This requires obtaining the updated UEFI firmware from the device OEM and flashing it to affected systems. No OS-level mitigation is possible.
Upgrade to Insyde Kernel 5.0:05.09.17, 5.1:05.17.17, 5.2:05.27.17, 5.3:05.36.17, 5.4:05.44.17, or 5.5:05.52.17 (or later) as provided by the device OEM
- Identify the device or system using the Insyde kernel (UEFI firmware) affected by this vulnerability
- Contact the device OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to obtain the firmware update containing the fixed Insyde kernel version
- For Kernel 5.0, request firmware with kernel version 05.09.17 or later
- For Kernel 5.1, request firmware with kernel version 05.17.17 or later
- For Kernel 5.2, request firmware with kernel version 05.27.17 or later
- For Kernel 5.3, request firmware with kernel version 05.36.17 or later
- For Kernel 5.4, request firmware with kernel version 05.44.17 or later
- For Kernel 5.5, request firmware with kernel version 05.52.17 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-29279 — 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-2022-29279 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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