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Alienware Area 51m R1 FirmwareOperating system · Dell

CVE-2023-28061

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 · moderate confidence

Dell BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability that allows a local authenticated attacker with administrator privileges to modify UEFI variables. This could enable persistent boot-level or runtime modifications to system firmware settings.

MitigationApply Dell BIOS firmware updates from Dell's security advisory; limit administrator privileges and restrict physical access to affected systems to prevent local privilege escalation attempts.

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 Dell Alienware system model
    Check the system model number by running 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt or checking the system label on the chassis. Look for model names matching Area 51m R1/R2, Aurora R11/R12/R13/R15, or M15 R2/R3.
    Affected if The system is not one of the listed Dell Alienware models (Area 51m R1/R2, Aurora R11/R12/R13/R15, M15 R2/R3)
  2. Retrieve the current BIOS firmware version
    Run 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' in Command Prompt, or check via Dell SupportAssist, or enter BIOS setup (F2 during boot) to view the BIOS version under the Information or Main tab.
    Affected if Unable to retrieve BIOS version or the system is not a Dell Alienware product from the affected list
  3. Compare the installed BIOS version against the affected ranges
    Match your retrieved BIOS version to the 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
    Affected if The installed BIOS version is lower than the version threshold for your specific model (e.g., Area 51m R1 with BIOS 1.25.0 is affected; Aurora R13 with BIOS 1.10.0 is affected)
  4. Verify administrator privileges exist on the system
    Check if the current user has administrator rights by running 'net localgroup Administrators' in Command Prompt or viewing User Accounts in Control Panel.
    Affected if The current user has administrator privileges on a vulnerable BIOS version (the attacker needs admin rights to exploit this flaw)

A system is affected if it is a Dell Alienware model from the list (Area 51m R1/R2, Aurora R11/R12/R13/R15, M15 R2/R3) with a BIOS version lower than the specified threshold and the user has administrator privileges, enabling exploitation of the UEFI variable modification vulnerability.

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 Dell BIOS firmware updates from Dell's security advisory; limit administrator privileges and restrict physical access to affected systems to prevent local privilege escalation attempts.

Recommended fix High confidence

BIOS firmware version 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), or 1.23.0 (M15 R3) depending on model

  1. Identify the specific Alienware model from the affected list (Area 51m R1, Area 51m R2, Aurora R11, Aurora R12, Aurora R13, Aurora R15, M15 R2, or M15 R3)
  2. Navigate to Dell's support website (www.dell.com) and locate the BIOS update for the specific model
  3. Download the BIOS update file corresponding to the fixed version: 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
  4. Run the BIOS update utility as an administrator
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to flash the BIOS firmware, ensuring the system remains powered on throughout the process
  6. Restart the system after the update completes to apply the new BIOS
Caveat BIOS updates carry a small risk of system malfunction 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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2023-28061 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