CVE-2022-32493
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 Stack-Based Buffer Overflow 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 a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that can be exploited by a local authenticated user through a System Management Interrupt (SMI). Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in SMRAM (System Management RAM), potentially enabling the attacker to run code at 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.
-
Identify your Dell Alienware system modelCheck the system label, documentation, or use commands such as `dmidecode -s system-product-name` on Linux, or `wmic baseboard get product` on Windows, or look in BIOS setup under System InformationAffected if model is one of: Alienware Area 51m R1, Area 51m R2, Aurora R8, Aurora R9, Aurora R10, Aurora R11, Aurora R12, or Aurora R13
-
Determine current BIOS/firmware versionRun `dmidecode -s bios-version` on Linux, or check Windows System Information under BIOS version, or boot into BIOS setup and locate the version on the main screenAffected if version cannot be determined or is lower than the patched version for your model
-
Compare installed version against affected rangesFor your identified model, compare the installed version number to: 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 installed version is lower than the minimum fixed version listed for your specific model
You are affected if your Alienware system matches one of the listed models and your current BIOS/firmware version is 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 vendor-supplied BIOS/firmware update from Dell. In enterprise environments, deploy through a centralized patch management system with appropriate testing and rollback procedures.
BIOS firmware updated to version 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), or 1.0.20 (Aurora R9) as applicable
- 1. Identify the exact Alienware or Aurora model number from the affected system.
- 2. Navigate to the Dell support website (www.dell.com) and enter the Service Tag or model number to find drivers and downloads.
- 3. Locate the BIOS update firmware for the specific model: Area 51m R1 requires >=1.21.0, Area 51m R2 requires >=1.18.0, Aurora R11 requires >=1.0.16, Aurora R12 requires >=1.1.16, Aurora R13 requires >=1.5.0, Aurora R10 requires >=2.3.1, Aurora R8 requires >=1.0.23, Aurora R9 requires >=1.0.20.
- 4. Download the latest BIOS update file from the Dell support page.
- 5. Connect the system to AC power (do not run on battery) to prevent interruption during the flashing process.
- 6. Run the downloaded BIOS update executable or use the Dell Update utility to apply the firmware update.
- 7. Follow the on-screen prompts and allow the system to restart to complete the BIOS flashing process.
- 8. After the update completes, verify the installed BIOS version matches the target fixed version.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-32493 — 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-2022-32493 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
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.
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.
- 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