CVE-2022-32474
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Insyde InsydeH2O with kernel 5.0 through 5.5. DMA attacks on the StorageSecurityCommandDxe shared buffer used by SMM and non-SMM code could cause TOCTOU race-condition issues that could lead to corruption of SMRAM and escalation of privileges. This attack can be mitigated using IOMMU protection for the ACPI runtime memory used for the command buffer. This attack can be mitigated by copying the firmware block services data to SMRAM before checking it.
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 confidenceInsydeH2O firmware contains a TOCTOU race condition in the StorageSecurityCommandDxe driver. The shared buffer used between SMM and non-SMM code is vulnerable to DMA attacks, allowing an attacker to corrupt SMRAM and escalate privileges by manipulating data after validation but before use.
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, < 5.0.05.09.42>= 5.1, < 5.1.05.17.42>= 5.2, < 5.2.05.27.38>= 5.3, < 5.3.05.36.38>= 5.4, < 5.4.05.44.38>= 5.5, < 5.5.05.52.38CVSS 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.
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Identify the InsydeH2O firmware versionUse system information tools such as dmidecode -s bios-version on Linux, or check the UEFI/BIOS setup utility information screen for the firmware version stringAffected if The firmware version falls within any of these ranges: >= 5.0 and < 5.0.05.09.42; >= 5.1 and < 5.1.05.17.42; >= 5.2 and < 5.2.05.27.38; >= 5.3 and < 5.3.05.36.38; >= 5.4 and < 5.4.05.44.38; >= 5.5 and < 5.5.05.52.38
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Verify the StorageSecurityCommandDxe driver is presentInspect the UEFI firmware image or driver list within the BIOS/UEFI setup, or dump the firmware ROM and search for the string 'StorageSecurityCommandDxe' in the driver binaryAffected if The StorageSecurityCommandDxe driver is included in the firmware image and loaded at runtime
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Confirm the shared buffer configuration existsReview the UEFI firmware disassembly or driver configuration to confirm the presence of a shared memory buffer between SMM and non-SMM code paths used by the StorageSecurityCommandDxe driverAffected if A shared buffer between SMM and non-SMM domains is defined and used by the driver for StorageSecurity commands
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Check SMRAM protection statusUse UEFI variable inspection tools or read the ACPI tables (specifically the SMRAM or IORT tables) to verify whether SMRAM regions are properly protected from DMA accessAffected if SMRAM is exposed to DMA attacks or the IOMMU is not configured to protect the ACPI runtime memory region used for the command buffer
A system is affected if it runs InsydeH2O firmware within any of the listed version ranges and has the StorageSecurityCommandDxe driver active with a vulnerable shared buffer configuration between SMM and non-SMM code.
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 · scoped5.0.05.09.425.1.05.17.425.2.05.27.38
Implement IOMMU protection for the ACPI runtime memory region used for the command buffer, or refactor the driver to copy firmware block services data into SMRAM before performing validation checks.
InsydeH2O version 5.0.05.09.42 (or later 5.0.x), 5.1.05.17.42 (or later 5.1.x), 5.2.05.27.38 (or later 5.2.x), or 5.3.05.36.38 (or later 5.3.x) depending on current branch
- 1. Identify the current InsydeH2O firmware version installed on the system by checking the UEFI/BIOS setup or using system information tools
- 2. Determine which version branch (5.0, 5.1, 5.2, or 5.3) the current firmware belongs to based on the version number
- 3. Contact the hardware OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to obtain the specific firmware update that addresses CVE-2022-32474
- 4. Download the appropriate patched firmware from the OEM - for branch 5.0 use version 5.0.05.09.42 or later, for branch 5.1 use version 5.1.05.17.42 or later, for branch 5.2 use version 5.2.05.27.38 or later, for branch 5.3 use version 5.3.05.36.38 or later
- 5. Apply the firmware update following the OEM's recommended update process, typically through a BIOS/UEFI flash utility or Windows Update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32474 — 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-2022-32474 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
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