CVE-2023-28059
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 · moderate confidenceDell BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability that allows a local authenticated user with administrator privileges to modify UEFI variables. This could enable persistent code execution or bypass of security controls at the firmware level.
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 system modelRun 'systeminfo' or check the physical system label to confirm the exact Dell Alienware model (e.g., Alienware Area 51m R1, Alienware Aurora R11, etc.)Affected if The model is NOT one of: 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
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Determine the current BIOS firmware versionRun 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' from an elevated command prompt, or check the BIOS setup menu under the 'Main' or 'Information' tabAffected if The installed version cannot be determined or is lower than the fixed version for your specific model
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Compare installed version against affected rangesMatch your model and installed firmware version to the following vulnerable 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 < 1.23.0Affected if The installed firmware version falls below the threshold for your specific Alienware model listed above
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Verify local administrator access contextConfirm that local users with administrator privileges exist on the system using 'net localgroup Administrators'Affected if Local authenticated users with administrator privileges can access the system (this condition enables exploitation of the vulnerability)
You are affected if your system is an Alienware model listed in the CVE and your current BIOS firmware version is below the specified threshold for that model.
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 provided by Dell for affected systems. Verify the update does not introduce new vulnerabilities and test thoroughly in a controlled environment before broad deployment.
Alienware 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
- 1. Identify the exact Alienware model and current firmware version by running 'systeminfo' or checking BIOS setup (press F2 during boot).
- 2. Download the appropriate BIOS/firmware update from the Dell support site (support.dell.com) for your specific model.
- 3. Ensure the system is connected to AC power and do not interrupt the update process.
- 4. Run the downloaded BIOS update executable or extract the firmware update package.
- 5. Follow the on-screen prompts to initiate the BIOS update; the system will restart automatically.
- 6. Allow the update to complete fully - do not power off or restart manually during the flashing process.
- 7. After the system restarts, enter BIOS setup (F2) and verify the firmware version matches or exceeds the fixed version for your model.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28059 — 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-2023-28059 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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