CVE-2023-28060
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 that allows a local authenticated user with administrator privileges to modify a UEFI variable. This is a firmware-level issue in the BIOS that fails to properly validate input before allowing modification of UEFI configuration variables.
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 Alienware system modelCheck the system model number via the Dell logo on the chassis, the BIOS setup screen (press F2 on boot), or by running `wmic computersystem get model` in Windows or `sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name` in Linux.Affected if The model is one of these: Area 51m R1, Area 51m R2, Aurora R11, Aurora R12, Aurora R13, Aurora R15, M15 R2, or M15 R3.
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Retrieve the current BIOS firmware versionIn Windows, run `wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion` or open Dell SupportAssist > Troubleshooting > Checkpoint > View BIOS Version. In Linux, run `sudo dmidecode -s bios-version`. Or press F2 during boot to access the BIOS setup screen and view the version listed on the main page.Affected if The BIOS version cannot be retrieved or shows as unknown.
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Compare the installed version against the affected thresholdMatch your model and version to the following 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. Use numeric comparison (e.g., 1.25.0 is less than 1.26.0).Affected if Your installed version is LOWER than the threshold listed for your specific model.
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Verify local administrator access existsConfirm that the user checking this has local administrator privileges on the system. In Windows, check via Control Panel > User Accounts > Manage another account, or run `net localgroup Administrators`. In Linux, check for sudo or root access.Affected if A local authenticated user with administrator privileges can execute commands on this system (this is the precondition for exploitation).
If the system is an Alienware Area 51m R1/R2, Aurora R11/R12/R13/R15, or M15 R2/R3 AND the installed BIOS version is below the threshold for that model AND local administrator access exists, the environment is affected by CVE-2023-28060.
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. Organizations should inventory Dell systems, verify the current BIOS version, and deploy the vendor patch. Restrict physical access and administrator privileges following least-privilege principles to reduce attack surface.
Firmware upgrades to the following versions: Area 51m R1 to >=1.26.0, Area 51m R2 to >=1.22.0, Aurora R11 to >=1.0.20, Aurora R12 to >=1.1.20, Aurora R13 to >=1.12.0, Aurora R15 to >=1.1.0, M15 R2 to >=1.22.0, M15 R3 to >=1.23.0
- 1. Identify the exact Alienware model number and current firmware version installed on the system
- 2. Visit Dell's official support website at www.dell.com and navigate to the drivers and downloads section for your specific model
- 3. Locate the BIOS/UEFI firmware update corresponding to your model: Area 51m R1 requires version 1.26.0 or later, Area 51m R2 requires version 1.22.0 or later, Aurora R11 requires version 1.0.20 or later, Aurora R12 requires version 1.1.20 or later, Aurora R13 requires version 1.12.0 or later, Aurora R15 requires version 1.1.0 or later, M15 R2 requires version 1.22.0 or later, M15 R3 requires ver
- 4. Download the appropriate BIOS update file from Dell's official support site
- 5. Run the BIOS update executable as an administrator, or use the Dell Update utility to apply the firmware update
- 6. Ensure the laptop is connected to AC power and do not interrupt the update process until completion
- 7. After the system reboots, verify the BIOS version has been updated to the fixed release
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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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-2023-28060 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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