CVE-2023-28026
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 · uneditedDell BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability. A local authenticated malicious user with administrator privileges may potentially exploit this vulnerability in order to modify a UEFI variable.
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 confidenceDell BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability allowing a local authenticated attacker with administrator privileges to modify a UEFI variable. This could enable persistent malware or security control bypass through UEFI variable manipulation.
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< 1.26.0< 1.22.0< 1.0.20< 1.1.20< 1.12.0< 1.1.0< 1.22.0< 1.23.0CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 exact Dell Alienware modelRun 'systeminfo' on Windows or check /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name on Linux, or inspect the physical system labelAffected if The model is NOT one of: Area 51m R1, Area 51m R2, Aurora R11, Aurora R12, Aurora R13, Aurora R15, M15 R2, or M15 R3
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Check the current BIOS firmware versionOn Windows, run 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' or check Dell SupportAssist. On Linux, run 'dmidecode -s bios-version' or check /sys/class/dmi/bios/versionAffected if The installed version is LOWER than the threshold for your specific model: Area 51m R1 < 1.26.0, Area 51m R2 < 1.22.0, Aurora R11 < 1.0.20, Aurora R12 < 1.1.20, Aurora R13 < 1.12.0, Aurora R15 < 1.1.0, M15 R2 < 1.22.0, M15 R3 < 1.23.0
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Verify UEFI variable write access is availableAttempt to read or write a test UEFI variable using tools like 'efivar' on Linux or UEFI variable enumeration tools on Windows. On Windows, check if the firmware supports variable writing via 'bcdedit /enum firmware' or third-party UEFI toolsAffected if The current user account has administrator privileges AND the system firmware permits UEFI variable modification (the vulnerability requires admin-level write access to UEFI variables)
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Inspect for suspicious UEFI variable modificationsCompare current UEFI variables against known-good baselines. On Linux, list variables in /sys/firmware/efi/efivars/ or use 'efivar -l'. On Windows, use UEFI variable reading tools to enumerate all variables and check for unexpected or malformed entriesAffected if Unexpected or unauthorized UEFI variables exist, particularly variables related to boot order, secure boot, or vendor-specific variables that were not intentionally configured
You are affected if you own one of the listed Alienware models AND your current BIOS firmware version is below the specified threshold, combined with the ability for an administrator to modify UEFI variables on your system.
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 · scoped1.0.201.1.01.1.20
Apply the Dell BIOS firmware update from Dell's support site to address the improper input validation. Ensure only trusted administrators have local access and monitor for unauthorized UEFI variable modifications.
Alienware Area 51m R1: Firmware >= 1.26.0 | Alienware Area 51m R2: Firmware >= 1.22.0 | Alienware Aurora R11: Firmware >= 1.0.20 | Alienware Aurora R12: Firmware >= 1.1.20 | Alienware Aurora R13: Firmware >= 1.12.0 | Alienware Aurora R15: Firmware >= 1.1.0 | Alienware M15 R2: Firmware >= 1.22.0 | Al
- Back up all critical data on the system before initiating firmware update
- Download the latest BIOS firmware version from Dell's official support website for your specific Alienware model
- Ensure the laptop is connected to AC power and will not lose power during the update process
- Disable any antivirus or security software that might interfere with the firmware update
- Run the Dell BIOS update utility (typically a .exe file from Dell) or use the Dell Update Package (DUP)
- Follow the on-screen instructions and do not interrupt the update process until completion
- Allow the system to reboot automatically as part of the update procedure
- Verify the installed BIOS version matches the expected fixed version after reboot
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28026 — 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-2023-28026 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
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