CVE-2022-38696
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 · uneditedIn BootRom, there's a possible missing payload size check. This could lead to memory buffer overflow without requiring additional execution privileges.
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 · moderate confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in BootRom due to a missing payload size check, allowing memory corruption without requiring elevated privileges. This affects the fundamental boot chain of the device, potentially enabling persistent compromise at the hardware level.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 device and BootRom versionLocate the BootRom version by checking vendor documentation, device firmware release notes, or by accessing the device's boot information through manufacturer-provided diagnostic tools. Many embedded devices display BootRom version during the boot process or via debug interfaces.Affected if The BootRom version cannot be determined or is not listed in vendor security advisories as the patched version.
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Verify secure boot configurationCheck if secure boot is enabled on the device. This is typically found in device settings, UEFI/BIOS configurations for x86 systems, or boot loader configurations for embedded devices. Consult vendor documentation for the specific method to verify secure boot status.Affected if Secure boot is disabled or not properly configured, leaving the BootRom vulnerable to unauthorized code execution.
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Check for vendor firmware updatesReview all available firmware and BootRom updates from the device vendor. Compare the installed BootRom version against the fixed versions listed in the vendor's security advisory or release notes for this CVE.Affected if The installed BootRom version is older than the version the vendor has identified as fixed, or no fix is available for your device model.
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Inspect boot chain integrityVerify the integrity of the boot chain by checking cryptographic signatures on boot components. This may involve using vendor-provided tools to validate BootRom, bootloader, and OS bootloader signatures. Look for any evidence of unauthorized modification.Affected if Boot chain integrity checks fail, signatures are invalid, or the boot chain shows signs of tampering consistent with the memory corruption described in the CVE.
Your environment is affected if the device runs an unpatched BootRom version older than the vendor's fixed version, secure boot is disabled, and the boot chain integrity cannot be verified or shows compromise.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor-provided firmware updates for BootRom; verify secure boot configurations and consider hardware replacement if the BootRom cannot be updated (e.g., masked ROM).
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-38696 — 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-2022-38696 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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- 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
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