dbcve.org
Alienware Area 51m R1 FirmwareOperating system · Dell

CVE-2023-28040

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-06-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.0.20 / 1.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
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
Dell 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 confidence

This vulnerability in Dell BIOS allows a local authenticated attacker with administrator privileges to improperly modify UEFI variables due to insufficient input validation. UEFI variables control critical boot-time settings including secure boot configuration, making this a privilege escalation/privilege abuse issue in the firmware layer.

MitigationApply the Dell BIOS/firmware update corresponding to the affected model from Dell's support site. Verify that UEFI variable modifications are properly restricted even for administrator accounts.

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 Area 51m R1 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.26.0
Alienware Area 51m R2 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.22.0
Alienware Aurora R11 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.0.20
Alienware Aurora R12 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.1.20
Alienware Aurora R13 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.12.0
Alienware Aurora R15 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.1.0
Alienware M15 R2 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.22.0
Alienware M15 R3 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 1.23.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the exact Alienware system model
    Open a terminal and run `wmic computersystem get model` or check the system label/sticker on the chassis to confirm the exact model number (e.g., Area 51m R1, Aurora R11, M15 R2)
    Affected if The model is not one of the eight affected Alienware models listed in the CVE (Area 51m R1/R2, Aurora R11/R12/R13/R15, M15 R2/R3)
  2. Retrieve the current BIOS firmware version
    Open a terminal and run `wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion` or access the BIOS setup by pressing F2 at boot and navigate to the BIOS information screen
    Affected if The installed BIOS 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
  3. Verify UEFI variable access controls
    Boot into BIOS setup (F2 at Dell splash screen), navigate to the UEFI variables or Secure Boot settings section, and inspect whether non-default UEFI variables can be modified or if unrestricted variable write access is enabled
    Affected if UEFI variable modification is allowed or configurable without proper restrictions, or if secure boot is disabled and UEFI variables are writable
  4. Confirm administrator account configuration
    Check Windows Device Manager or the BIOS admin account settings to determine if administrator-level BIOS access is enabled, since the attacker requires admin privileges
    Affected if There are administrator accounts configured with BIOS setup access, as the CVE requires a local authenticated attacker with administrator privileges

You are affected if your Alienware system matches one of the eight listed models and your current BIOS firmware version is below the version threshold for that model, combined with administrator-level access being available on the system.

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 1.0.20 / 1.1.0 / 1.1.20 or later
Fixed in 1.0.201.1.01.1.20
Interim mitigation

Apply the Dell BIOS/firmware update corresponding to the affected model from Dell's support site. Verify that UEFI variable modifications are properly restricted even for administrator accounts.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firmware versions: 1.26.0 (Area 51m R1), 1.22.0 (Area 51m R2), 1.0.20 (Aurora R11), 1.1.20 (Aurora R12), 1.12.0 (Aurora R13), 1.1.0 (Aurora R15), 1.22.0 (M15 R2), 1.23.0 (M15 R3)

  1. 1. Identify the exact Alienware model and current firmware version by running 'dwdiag' or checking BIOS setup (F2 on boot)
  2. 2. Visit www.dell.com/support and enter the Service Tag or search for the specific Alienware model
  3. 3. Navigate to the Drivers & Downloads section for the system
  4. 4. Select the appropriate BIOS/firmware update from the list (matching the fixed version for your model: 1.26.0 for Area 51m R1, 1.22.0 for Area 51m R2, 1.0.20 for Aurora R11, 1.1.20 for Aurora R12, 1.12.0 for Aurora R13, 1.1.0 for Aurora R15, 1.22.0 for M15 R2, 1.23.0 for M15 R3)
  5. 5. Download the BIOS update executable to a local drive
  6. 6. Connect the system to AC power (battery must be above threshold, typically 30%)
  7. 7. Run the BIOS update executable as Administrator
  8. 8. Allow the update to complete and the system will automatically reboot - do not interrupt this process
Caveat BIOS updates carry a small brick risk 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 Area 51m R1 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28040 — 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-2023-28040 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