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KernelApplication · Insyde

CVE-2022-33984

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.2.05.27.25 / 5.3.05.36.25 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
DMA transactions which are targeted at input buffers used for the SdMmcDevice 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 SdMmcDevice 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. This was fixed in kernel 5.2: 05.27.25, kernel 5.3: 05.36.25, kernel 5.4: 05.44.25, kernel 5.5: 05.52.25 https://www.insyde.com/security-pledge/SA-2022054

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

A TOCTOU (Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use) race condition in the SdMmcDevice driver's software SMI handler allows DMA transactions targeted at input buffers to corrupt SMRAM (System Management RAM). An attacker with DMA capabilities could exploit this to execute code in SMM (System Management Mode).

MitigationApply the Insyde firmware updates: kernel 5.2 update to version 05.27.25 or later, kernel 5.3 to 05.36.25 or later, kernel 5.4 to 05.44.25 or later, and kernel 5.5 to 05.52.25 or later. Verify the current firmware version and apply vendor-supplied UEFI firmware patches.

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
KernelApplication
Affected:>= 5.2, < 5.2.05.27.25>= 5.3, < 5.3.05.36.25>= 5.4, < 5.4.05.44.25>= 5.5, < 5.5.05.52.25

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. Identify the InsydeH2O UEFI firmware version
    Run `dmidecode -s bios-version` or check BIOS/UEFI setup screen for the firmware version string; InsydeH2O firmware typically displays a version like '5.2.05.27' or '5.3.05.36' in the BIOS info
    Affected if The firmware version begins with kernel 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, or 5.5 and is earlier than 05.27.25 (for 5.2), 05.36.25 (for 5.3), 05.44.25 (for 5.4), or 05.52.25 (for 5.5)
  2. Confirm the vendor is InsydeH2O
    Run `dmidecode -s bios-vendor` or check the BIOS setup screen for the firmware provider; InsydeH2O is a UEFI firmware framework used by many OEMs
    Affected if The BIOS vendor string contains 'Insyde' or 'InsydeH2O' and the version matches the affected ranges above
  3. Check for presence of SdMmcDevice driver
    Inspect UEFI firmware volumes or run `fwupdtpmevlog` or similar tools if available; the SdMmcDevice driver handles SD/MMC card access and creates a software SMI handler
    Affected if The SdMmcDevice driver is present in the UEFI firmware and the firmware version falls within the vulnerable version ranges
  4. Verify DMA and SMM are enabled
    Check UEFI/BIOS settings for 'DMA' (often under Security or PCH settings) and 'SMM' (System Management Mode) availability; DMA must be enabled for the attack vector, and SMM must be present (default on most systems)
    Affected if DMA support is enabled in the firmware settings and the system uses SMM (standard on x86 platforms with SMRAM)

A system is affected if it runs InsydeH2O UEFI firmware with kernel versions 5.2 through 5.2.05.27.24, 5.3 through 5.3.05.36.24, 5.4 through 5.4.05.44.24, or 5.5 through 5.5.05.52.24, has the SdMmcDevice driver present, and has DMA capabilities enabled.

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 5.2.05.27.25 / 5.3.05.36.25 / 5.4.05.44.25 or later
Fixed in 5.2.05.27.255.3.05.36.255.4.05.44.25
Interim mitigation

Apply the Insyde firmware updates: kernel 5.2 update to version 05.27.25 or later, kernel 5.3 to 05.36.25 or later, kernel 5.4 to 05.44.25 or later, and kernel 5.5 to 05.52.25 or later. Verify the current firmware version and apply vendor-supplied UEFI firmware patches.

Recommended fix High confidence

Kernel 5.2: 05.27.25 or later; Kernel 5.3: 05.36.25 or later; Kernel 5.4: 05.44.25 or later; Kernel 5.5: 05.52.25 or later

  1. Identify the current kernel version by checking the system's firmware or boot logs
  2. Determine which kernel branch (5.2, 5.3, 5.4, or 5.5) the current version belongs to
  3. For kernel 5.2: upgrade to version 05.27.25 or later
  4. For kernel 5.3: upgrade to version 05.36.25 or later
  5. For kernel 5.4: upgrade to version 05.44.25 or later
  6. For kernel 5.5: upgrade to version 05.52.25 or later
  7. After upgrade, verify the new kernel version matches or exceeds the required fixed version for the respective branch

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

Fix this in Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,800
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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-2022-33984 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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