dbcve.org
Insydeh2oApplication · Insyde

CVE-2022-32476

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.2.05.27.27 / 5.3.05.36.27 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
An issue was discovered in Insyde InsydeH2O with kernel 5.0 through 5.5. DMA attacks on the AhciBusDxe 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 confidence

A DMA attack vulnerability exists in Insyde InsydeH2O kernel versions 5.0-5.5 where the AhciBusDxe shared buffer between SMM and non-SMM code is susceptible to TOCTOU race conditions, allowing attackers to corrupt SMRAM and escalate privileges.

MitigationEnable IOMMU protection for ACPI runtime memory used by the command buffer, and implement the mitigation of copying firmware block services data to SMRAM before performing validation checks.

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
Insydeh2oApplication
Affected:>= 5.0, < 5.2.05.27.27>= 5.3, < 5.3.05.36.27>= 5.4, < 5.4.05.44.27>= 5.5, < 5.5.05.52.27

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify InsydeH2O firmware version
    Access the system's BIOS/UEFI setup utility and locate the firmware version information, typically found under 'Main' or 'BIOS Information' section. Alternatively, use tools like 'dmidecode' on Linux or 'wmic' on Windows to query the BIOS version.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the affected ranges: >= 5.0 and < 5.2.05.27.27, >= 5.3 and < 5.3.05.36.27, >= 5.4 and < 5.4.05.44.27, or >= 5.5 and < 5.5.05.52.27
  2. Verify AHCI controller is enabled
    In the BIOS/UEFI setup, navigate to 'Storage' or 'Integrated Peripherals' settings and confirm that AHCI mode is selected for the SATA controller.
    Affected if AHCI mode is enabled, as the AhciBusDxe driver manages AHCI controllers and contains the vulnerable shared buffer between SMM and non-SMM code
  3. Confirm AhciBusDxe driver is present
    Use a UEFI firmware analysis tool or dump the firmware image and search for the AhciBusDxe driver binary signature.
    Affected if The AhciBusDxe driver is present in the firmware, indicating the vulnerable code path exists in the system
  4. Check IOMMU protection status
    In BIOS/UEFI settings, look for 'IOMMU', 'Intel VT-d', or 'AMD-Vi' settings under 'Advanced' or 'Chipset' configuration and verify they are enabled.
    Affected if IOMMU is disabled, as this is a known mitigation that protects ACPI runtime memory used by the command buffer from DMA attacks

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable InsydeH2O firmware version within the specified ranges with AHCI enabled and without IOMMU protection enabled.

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 5.2.05.27.27 / 5.3.05.36.27 / 5.4.05.44.27 or later
Fixed in 5.2.05.27.275.3.05.36.275.4.05.44.27
Interim mitigation

Enable IOMMU protection for ACPI runtime memory used by the command buffer, and implement the mitigation of copying firmware block services data to SMRAM before performing validation checks.

Recommended fix High confidence

InsydeH2O version 5.2.05.27.27 or later (for 5.0-5.2 branch); 5.3.05.36.27 or later (for 5.3 branch); 5.4.05.44.27 or later (for 5.4 branch); 5.5.05.52.27 or later (for 5.5 branch)

  1. Identify your current InsydeH2O firmware version from the BIOS setup or system information
  2. Visit your system manufacturer's support website and locate the BIOS/firmware update for your specific device model
  3. Download and apply the latest BIOS update that corresponds to your version branch (5.2, 5.3, 5.4, or 5.5)
  4. After updating, verify the firmware version reflects the new patched release
Caveat BIOS firmware updates carry inherent risks; ensure stable power during update process; some BIOS updates may reset settings to defaults

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

Fix this in Insydeh2o Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $15,616.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32476 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-32476 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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