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Alienware M15 R6 FirmwareOperating system · Dell

CVE-2022-34403

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.4.3 / 1.8.0 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Dell BIOS contains a Stack based buffer overflow vulnerability. A local authenticated attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability by using an SMI to send larger than expected input to a parameter 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 confidence

Dell BIOS contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that can be exploited by a local authenticated attacker via a System Management Interrupt (SMI) by sending larger than expected input to a parameter, enabling arbitrary code execution in SMRAM (System Management RAM).

MitigationApply the latest Dell BIOS firmware update from Dell's support website. Since this is a BIOS-level vulnerability requiring physical/local access and authentication, prioritize updating systems with direct console access and ensure proper access controls on affected machines.

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
Alienware M15 R6 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.17.0
Alienware M15 R7 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.4.3
Alienware M15 Ryzen Edition R5 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.8.0
Alienware M17 R5 Amd FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.4.3
G15 5510 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.16.0
G15 5511 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.18.0
G15 5515 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.8.0
G15 5525 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.4.3

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
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 system model
    Check the system model number by running 'systeminfo' on Windows or checking /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name on Linux, or visually inspect the laptop chassis for the model label (Alienware M15 R6/R7, Alienware M15 Ryzen Edition R5, Alienware M17 R5 Amd, G15 5510/5511/5515/5525)
    Affected if The system is one of the affected models listed in the CVE
  2. Retrieve installed BIOS firmware version
    Run 'dmidecode -s bios-version' on Linux, use 'Get-WmiObject Win32_BIOS' in PowerShell on Windows, or access the BIOS setup screen (press F2 during boot) to view the BIOS version under the 'Main' or 'Information' section
    Affected if A BIOS/firmware version is returned by the system
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Match the system model to its version threshold: Alienware M15 R6 must be <1.17.0, Alienware M15 R7 must be <1.4.3, Alienware M15 Ryzen Edition R5 must be <1.8.0, Alienware M17 R5 Amd must be <1.4.3, G15 5510 must be <1.16.0, G15 5511 must be <1.18.0, G15 5515 must be <1.8.0, G15 5525 must be <1.4.3
    Affected if The installed firmware version number is lower than the threshold for that specific model

You are affected if you own one of the listed Dell laptop models and the installed BIOS firmware version is below the specified threshold for that model.

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 1.4.3 / 1.8.0 / 1.16.0 or later
Fixed in 1.4.31.8.01.16.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the latest Dell BIOS firmware update from Dell's support website. Since this is a BIOS-level vulnerability requiring physical/local access and authentication, prioritize updating systems with direct console access and ensure proper access controls on affected machines.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIOS firmware version 1.17.0 (M15 R6), 1.4.3 (M15 R7, M17 R5 AMD, G15 5525), 1.8.0 (M15 Ryzen R5, G15 5515), 1.16.0 (G15 5510), 1.18.0 (G15 5511) or later depending on specific model

  1. 1. Identify the exact laptop model number (e.g., Alienware M15 R6, G15 5510, etc.)
  2. 2. Navigate to the Dell Support website at www.dell.com
  3. 3. Enter the service tag or search for the specific laptop model
  4. 4. Go to the Drivers & Downloads section
  5. 5. Select the BIOS category from the available drivers
  6. 6. Download the latest BIOS update version that meets or exceeds the fixed version for your model: M15 R6: 1.17.0, M15 R7: 1.4.3, M15 Ryzen Edition R5: 1.8.0, M17 R5 AMD: 1.4.3, G15 5510: 1.16.0, G15 5511: 1.18.0, G15 5515: 1.8.0, G15 5525: 1.4.3
  7. 7. Run the BIOS update executable or save to a USB drive for offline update
  8. 8. Connect the laptop to power (do not run on battery)
Caveat BIOS updates carry a risk of bricking the system if interrupted; ensure stable power and do not interrupt the flashing process

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

Fix this in Alienware M15 R6 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,050
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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-2022-34403 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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