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Insydeh2oApplication · Insyde

CVE-2022-32953

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 SdHostDriver 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 by using IOMMU protection for the ACPI runtime memory used for the command buffer. This attack can be mitigated by copying the link data to SMRAM before checking it and verifying that all pointers are within the buffer.

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

TOCTOU race condition in SdHostDriver buffer in InsydeH2O kernel 5.0-5.5 allows DMA attacks to corrupt SMRAM and escalate privileges. The vulnerability exists because SMM and non-SMM code share the same buffer without proper synchronization.

MitigationApply vendor firmware update from Insyde; alternatively, enable IOMMU protection for ACPI runtime memory used for command buffers, or implement the in-firmware mitigation of copying link data to SMRAM before pointer validation.

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. Check the installed InsydeH2O firmware version
    Run 'dmidecode -s bios-version' or 'dmidecode -s bios-release-date' from terminal. The version string typically appears as a format like 5.xx.xx.xx
    Affected if The displayed version falls within any of these 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; >= 5.4 and < 5.4.05.44.27; >= 5.5 and < 5.5.05.52.27
  2. Verify the BIOS vendor is Insyde
    Run 'dmidecode -s bios-vendor' to confirm the firmware was developed by Insyde
    Affected if The vendor is Insyde and the version from step 1 is in the affected ranges
  3. Confirm System Management Mode (SMM) is enabled
    Check UEFI/BIOS settings or verify via 'dmidecode' that SMM is active. This is typically enabled by default on consumer systems
    Affected if SMM is enabled and the firmware version is vulnerable - the race condition only affects shared buffers between SMM and non-SMM code when SMM is active
  4. Check for SD host controller hardware
    Run 'lspci | grep -i sd' or check if an SD card reader is present in the system hardware
    Affected if The system has an SD host controller and the firmware version is in the affected ranges - this indicates the SdHostDriver component is likely loaded

You are affected if the system uses InsydeH2O firmware version 5.0 to 5.5 within the specific patch gaps listed, with SMM enabled and SD host controller hardware present.

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

Apply vendor firmware update from Insyde; alternatively, enable IOMMU protection for ACPI runtime memory used for command buffers, or implement the in-firmware mitigation of copying link data to SMRAM before pointer validation.

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), or 5.5.05.52.27 or later (for 5.5 branch)

  1. Check current InsydeH2O firmware version via BIOS setup utility or system information tool
  2. Download the appropriate firmware update from the system manufacturer's support website
  3. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to apply the firmware update, typically using a BIOS update utility or firmware flashing process
  4. Verify the firmware has been updated to a fixed version (5.2.05.27.27+, 5.3.05.36.27+, 5.4.05.44.27+, or 5.5.05.52.27+)
Caveat Firmware updates carry inherent risk; ensure stable power during update and follow manufacturer instructions exactly

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

Fix this in Insydeh2o Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation12.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
60.0 hours of engineering $10,560
Get the upgrade done

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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-2022-32953 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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