CVE-2022-33909
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 · uneditedDMA transactions which are targeted at input buffers used for the HddPassword software SMI handler could cause SMRAM corruption through a TOCTOU attack. DMA transactions which are targeted at input buffers used for the software SMI handler used by the HddPassword driver could cause SMRAM corruption through a TOCTOU attack..This issue was discovered by Insyde engineering based on the general description provided by Intel's iSTARE group. Fixed in kernel Kernel 5.2: 05.27.23, Kernel 5.3: 05.36.23, Kernel 5.4: 05.44.23, Kernel 5.5: 05.52.23 https://www.insyde.com/security-pledge/SA-2022051
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 confidenceThis is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Insyde's UEFI firmware affecting the HDD Password driver's Software SMI (System Management Interrupt) handler. The vulnerability stems from a TOCTOU (Time-Of-Check-Time-Of-Use) race condition where DMA transactions can target input buffers before proper validation completes, allowing an attacker to corrupt SMRAM (System Management RAM). Successful exploitation could yield code execution in SMM (System Management Mode) at the highest CPU privilege level.
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>= 5.2, < 5.2.05.27.23>= 5.3, < 5.3.05.36.23>= 5.4, < 5.4.05.44.23>= 5.5, < 5.5.05.52.23CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the Insyde UEFI firmware versionRun `dmidecode -s bios-version` on Linux or check the BIOS information in the UEFI setup utility. The version string typically follows a format like xx.xx.xx.xx (e.g., 5.2.05.27.23).Affected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: >= 5.2 but < 5.2.05.27.23; >= 5.3 but < 5.3.05.36.23; >= 5.4 but < 5.4.05.44.23; or >= 5.5 but < 5.5.05.52.23
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Confirm the vendor is InsydeRun `dmidecode -s bios-vendor` or check the BIOS vendor string in the UEFI setup utility to verify the firmware was developed by Insyde.Affected if The vendor is not Insyde (this vulnerability only affects Insyde UEFI firmware).
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Check if HDD Password feature is enabled in UEFI settingsEnter the UEFI/BIOS setup during boot and navigate to the Security or HDD Security section. Look for HDD Password, ATA Password, or similar disk authentication settings. The exact location varies by OEM implementation.Affected if An HDD Password is set on any drive (this enables the vulnerable SMI handler code path).
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Identify DMA-capable expansion interfacesRun `lspci` on Linux to list PCI/PCIe devices. Look for Thunderbolt controllers, PCIe external GPU enclosures, FireWire controllers, or similar DMA-capable expansion slots that could be leveraged for the race condition.Affected if The system has accessible Thunderbolt, PCIe slots, or other DMA-capable ports that an attacker with physical access could exploit.
You are affected if your system uses Insyde UEFI firmware with a kernel version in any of the four affected ranges AND has an HDD Password enabled, regardless of DMA hardware presence (the vulnerability exists in the driver regardless of exploitation feasibility).
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 · scoped5.2.05.27.235.3.05.36.235.4.05.44.23
Apply vendor-supplied firmware updates from Insyde for kernel versions 5.2 (05.27.23), 5.3 (05.36.23), 5.4 (05.44.23), and 5.5 (05.52.23). Until patches are applied, minimize exposure by restricting physical access and disabling DMA-capable expansion slots where possible.
Upgrade to Insyde Kernel 5.2:05.27.23, Kernel 5.3:05.36.23, Kernel 5.4:05.44.23, or Kernel 5.5:05.52.23 (depending on current branch)
- 1. Identify the current Insyde kernel version by checking the UEFI/BIOS firmware version or system information
- 2. Determine which kernel branch (5.2, 5.3, 5.4, or 5.5) the current firmware is based on
- 3. Obtain the corresponding firmware update from Insyde or the system OEM vendor that includes the fixed kernel version
- 4. Apply the firmware update: For Kernel 5.2, upgrade to version 05.27.23 or later; for Kernel 5.3, upgrade to version 05.36.23 or later; for Kernel 5.4, upgrade to version 05.44.23 or later; for Kernel 5.5, upgrade to version 05.52.23 or later
- 5. Verify the update was applied successfully by confirming the new kernel version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-33909 — 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-2022-33909 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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