CVE-2022-32485
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 · uneditedDell BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability. A local authenticated malicious user may potentially exploit this vulnerability by using an SMI to gain arbitrary code execution in SMRAM.
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 confidenceDell BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability where a local authenticated malicious user can exploit this by using a System Management Interrupt (SMI) to achieve arbitrary code execution in System Management RAM (SMRAM). This allows the attacker to execute code with the highest privilege level outside the operating system.
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< 1.21.0< 1.18.0< 1.0.16< 1.1.16< 1.5.0< 2.3.1< 1.0.23< 1.0.20CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the exact Alienware system modelRun 'dmidecode -s system-product-name' on Linux or check System Information on Windows to confirm the precise model (e.g., Alienware Area 51m R1, Alienware Aurora R11)Affected if The model is not one of the eight affected Alienware models listed in the CVE
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Determine the current BIOS firmware versionRun 'dmidecode -s bios-version' on Linux, 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' on Windows, or access the BIOS setup screen and check the BIOS version informationAffected if Unable to retrieve a BIOS version number for comparison
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Compare the installed version against affected thresholdsMatch your system model to its specific version threshold: Area 51m R1 <1.21.0, Area 51m R2 <1.18.0, Aurora R11 <1.0.16, Aurora R12 <1.1.16, Aurora R13 <1.5.0, Aurora R10 <2.3.1, Aurora R8 <1.0.23, Aurora R9 <1.0.20Affected if The installed BIOS version is lower than the version threshold for your specific model
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Verify if System Management Mode (SMM) is accessibleThis is a code execution check. The vulnerability requires a local authenticated user who can trigger an SMI to execute code in SMRAM. Confirm system accessibility aligns with the threat model (physical access or local shell access)Affected if The system is externally exposed with no local authentication barrier preventing SMI triggers
You are affected if your Alienware system matches one of the eight models AND its current BIOS firmware version is below the version threshold for that model.
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 · scoped1.0.161.0.201.0.23
Apply Dell BIOS/firmware updates from Dell's support site to address the improper input validation vulnerability. Organizations should deploy these updates through their enterprise firmware management processes, as firmware updates require careful testing and potentially physical access considerations.
Firmware >= 1.21.0 (Area 51m R1), >= 1.18.0 (Area 51m R2), >= 1.0.16 (Aurora R11), >= 1.1.16 (Aurora R12), >= 1.5.0 (Aurora R13), >= 2.3.1 (Aurora R10), >= 1.0.23 (Aurora R8), >= 1.0.20 (Aurora R9)
- 1. Identify the exact Alienware/Aurora model number and current BIOS/firmware version by running 'systeminfo' or checking BIOS setup (press F2 at boot)
- 2. Navigate to Dell's support website (www.dell.com) and enter the Service Tag or product model to find downloads
- 3. Locate the BIOS update section and download the firmware version matching or exceeding: Area 51m R1: 1.21.0, Area 51m R2: 1.18.0, Aurora R11: 1.0.16, Aurora R12: 1.1.16, Aurora R13: 1.5.0, Aurora R10: 2.3.1, Aurora R8: 1.0.23, Aurora R9: 1.0.20
- 4. Extract the BIOS update file and run the executable (e.g., .exe or .bios file) as administrator
- 5. Allow the BIOS update to complete without interrupting power; the system will automatically reboot several times
- 6. Verify the updated BIOS version in BIOS setup (F2 at boot) matches the target version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32485 — 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-2022-32485 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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