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Alienware Area 51m R1 FirmwareOperating system · Dell

CVE-2023-28054

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 is a Dell BIOS vulnerability involving improper input validation that allows a local authenticated attacker with administrator privileges to modify UEFI variables. The vulnerability exists in the BIOS/UEFI firmware layer and could potentially allow manipulation of firmware settings that control boot processes and system configuration.

MitigationApply the Dell BIOS/firmware update provided by Dell for affected systems. Follow least-privilege principles and restrict administrator access where possible.

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 command prompt and run 'wmic computersystem get model' or check the system information in Windows Settings > System > About. On Linux, run 'sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name'.
    Affected if The model is not one of the following: Alienware Area 51m R1, Alienware Area 51m R2, Alienware Aurora R11, Alienware Aurora R12, Alienware Aurora R13, Alienware Aurora R15, Alienware M15 R2, or Alienware M15 R3.
  2. Retrieve the current BIOS firmware version
    On Windows, run 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' or open Dell SupportAssist > View Updates > BIOS. On Linux, run 'sudo dmidecode -s bios-version' or check 'cat /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version'.
    Affected if The firmware version cannot be determined or is not visible.
  3. Compare the firmware version against affected ranges
    Compare the retrieved version number to the affected thresholds: 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.
    Affected if The installed firmware version is lower than the specified threshold for your specific model.
  4. Verify administrator privileges are present
    This vulnerability requires a local authenticated attacker with administrator privileges. Check if standard user accounts exist and if admin access is widely shared in your environment.
    Affected if Multiple users have administrator-level access to the system, increasing the attack surface for this vulnerability.

You are affected if your Alienware system matches one of the eight models listed and your current 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 1.0.20 / 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 provided by Dell for affected systems. Follow least-privilege principles and restrict administrator access where possible.

Recommended fix High confidence

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

  1. 1. Identify the exact Alienware model from the affected list (Area 51m R1/R2, Aurora R11/R12/R13/R15, M15 R2/R3)
  2. 2. Navigate to Dell's official support website at www.dell.com
  3. 3. Enter the specific model number to find support and driver downloads
  4. 4. Locate the BIOS/Firmware section for the system
  5. 5. Download the BIOS update corresponding to the fixed version for the model: Area 51m R1 to version 1.26.0, Area 51m R2 to version 1.22.0, Aurora R11 to version 1.0.20, Aurora R12 to version 1.1.20, Aurora R13 to version 1.12.0, Aurora R15 to version 1.1.0, M15 R2 to version 1.22.0, M15 R3 to version 1.23.0
  6. 6. Run the downloaded BIOS update executable as Administrator
  7. 7. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the BIOS firmware update, allowing the system to reboot as required
  8. 8. Verify the BIOS version after the update matches the intended fixed version
Caveat BIOS updates carry a risk of system damage if interrupted; ensure stable power and do not interrupt the update 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
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2023-28054 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data