dbcve.org
Insydeh2oApplication · Insyde

CVE-2023-22612

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
An issue was discovered in IhisiSmm in Insyde InsydeH2O with kernel 5.0 through 5.5. A malicious host OS can invoke an Insyde SMI handler with malformed arguments, resulting in memory corruption in SMM.

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 vulnerability in the IhisiSmm component of InsydeH2O firmware (kernel 5.0-5.5) allows a malicious host OS to invoke an SMI handler with malformed arguments, causing memory corruption in System Management Mode (SMM). SMM operates at the highest privilege level on x86 processors, making this a severe security issue that could enable arbitrary code execution with full system control.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied firmware update from Insyde/OEM to patch the IhisiSmm vulnerability. Until the patch is available, implement compensating controls such as disabling S3 sleep states and enabling Secure Boot to reduce the attack surface.

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:= 05.0a.11= 05.18.03= 05.28.03= 05.37.03= 05.45.01= 05.53.01

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 UEFI firmware vendor
    Run `dmidecode -s bios-vendor` or check the BIOS/UEFI setup screen during boot to determine if the system uses InsydeH2O firmware
    Affected if The vendor is not Insyde (e.g., is American Megatrends, Phoenix, or Lenovo/HP/Dell with their own firmware), then this specific CVE does not apply
  2. Extract the firmware version
    Run `dmidecode -s bios-version` to obtain the installed InsydeH2O firmware version number
    Affected if The version matches one of the affected versions: 05.0a.11, 05.18.03, 05.28.03, 05.37.03, 05.45.01, or 05.53.01
  3. Check the Insyde kernel version in firmware
    This check requires accessing firmware debug/development interfaces or contacting Insyde/OEM for the kernel version of the IhisiSmm component (not the operating system kernel)
    Affected if The Insyde firmware kernel version falls within 5.0 to 5.5 inclusive, which contains the vulnerable IhisiSmm component
  4. Confirm SMM accessibility
    Verify that System Management Mode is enabled and accessible. On Linux, tools like `msr-tools` (rdmsr/wrmsr) or checking for SMM vulnerabilities via `cat /proc/boot_params` or vendor-specific tools can indicate SMM status
    Affected if SMM is active and the host OS has the ability to invoke SMI handlers, which is the default state on most x86 systems with this firmware

If the system uses InsydeH2O firmware with a version matching 05.0a.11, 05.18.03, 05.28.03, 05.37.03, 05.45.01, or 05.53.01 (or kernel 5.0-5.5), it is likely affected by this vulnerability.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied firmware update from Insyde/OEM to patch the IhisiSmm vulnerability. Until the patch is available, implement compensating controls such as disabling S3 sleep states and enabling Secure Boot to reduce the attack surface.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

InsydeH2O firmware version containing fix for CVE-2023-22612 (contact Insyde or your hardware vendor for specific version numbers)

  1. Contact Insyde (www.insyde.com) or your hardware vendor to obtain the latest InsydeH2O firmware update that addresses CVE-2023-22612
  2. Apply the vendor-provided firmware update to the UEFI/BIOS following the hardware vendor's standard update procedure
  3. Verify the firmware version has been updated to a version that includes the security fix for the IhisiSmm out-of-bounds write vulnerability
  4. Alternatively, check Insyde's security advisory or PSIRT for published fixed versions and release notes
Caveat Firmware updates carry inherent risks; ensure stable power during update and follow vendor rollback procedures if needed

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

Fix this in Insydeh2o Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,940
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,304.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-22612 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-22612 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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