CVE-2022-32491
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 Client BIOS contains a Buffer Overflow vulnerability. A local authenticated malicious user may potentially exploit this vulnerability by manipulating an SMI to cause an arbitrary write during SMM.
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 · moderate confidenceDell Client BIOS contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in System Management Mode (SMM). A local authenticated attacker can manipulate System Management Interrupts (SMI) to trigger an arbitrary write condition during SMM execution, potentially allowing code execution with highest privileges.
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 your Dell Alienware modelCheck system information or BIOS setup to confirm the exact model (Area 51m R1, Area 51m R2, Aurora R8, Aurora R9, Aurora R10, Aurora R11, Aurora R12, or Aurora R13)Affected if Model is not one of the listed affected Alienware systems
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Check installed BIOS firmware versionAccess BIOS setup (press F2 at boot) or use system management tools (such as Dell SupportAssist, dmidecode, or BIOS version displayed in system information) to retrieve the current firmware versionAffected if Cannot determine the installed BIOS version
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Compare version against affected thresholdMatch your model to its 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 < 1.0.20. Compare your installed version numerically to this threshold.Affected if Installed version is lower than the threshold for your specific model (note: version numbers should be compared numerically, e.g., 1.20.0 is higher than 1.18.0)
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Confirm SMM is accessibleVerify System Management Mode is present and functional on the system (this is standard on affected systems; no configuration change required for the vulnerability to apply)Affected if System lacks SMM capability (uncommon on these client systems)
You are affected if you have one of the listed Dell Alienware models with a BIOS firmware version below the specified 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 the Dell BIOS firmware update for affected client systems. As this is a SMM privilege escalation, ensure systems are patched promptly given the high CVSS score and local authenticated attack vector.
Alienware 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
- Identify the exact system model (e.g., Alienware Area 51m R1) and obtain the Service Tag from the system or BIOS
- Navigate to Dell's official support website (www.dell.com/support) and enter the Service Tag or product model to access the drivers and downloads page
- Locate the BIOS category and verify the current installed BIOS version matches an affected version
- Download the BIOS update file for the specific model (e.g., Area 51m R1: version 1.21.0 or later, R2: 1.18.0 or later, Aurora R11: 1.0.16 or later, etc.)
- Ensure the system is connected to AC power and backup any critical data before proceeding
- Run the downloaded BIOS update executable or use Dell Update/Dell Command Update utility to apply the firmware
- Follow the on-screen instructions; the system will automatically restart to complete the BIOS update
- After the update completes, verify the new BIOS version matches the fixed release in the system BIOS setup or via system information
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32491 — 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-2022-32491 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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