CVE-2023-32461
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 PowerEdge BIOS and Dell Precision BIOS contain a buffer overflow vulnerability. A local malicious user with high privileges could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to corrupt memory and potentially escalate privileges.
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Dell PowerEdge BIOS and Dell Precision BIOS that allows a local attacker with high privileges to corrupt memory and potentially escalate privileges. The vulnerability requires local access and an existing high-privileged account on the target system.
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< 1.5.6< 1.5.6< 1.5.6< 1.5.6< 1.5.6< 1.5.6< 1.5.6< 1.5.6CVSS 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 PowerEdge server modelLocate the server model label on the chassis or check via iDRAC/web interface or boot screen. Confirm it is one of: R660, R760, C6620, Mx760c, R860, R960, Hs5610, or Hs5620.Affected if The model is not one of the eight listed PowerEdge systems, then this CVE does not apply.
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Retrieve the current BIOS/firmware versionAccess the iDRAC web interface, go to Hardware > BIOS, and note the firmware version displayed. Alternatively, use Dell OpenManage, run 'racadm getsysinfo' from the iDRAC SSH console, or enter BIOS setup and view the BIOS version on the main screen.Affected if The version cannot be retrieved or the system does not have an iDRAC, indicating a non-standard configuration.
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Compare installed version against 1.5.6Take the retrieved BIOS/firmware version (for example, 1.4.2, 1.5.0, or 1.5.6) and compare it numerically to 1.5.6. Versions 1.5.6 and higher are fixed.Affected if The installed version is less than 1.5.6 (such as 1.5.5, 1.4.1, or any earlier release), then the system is affected by this vulnerability.
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Verify high-privilege local access existsConfirm that local attacker with high privileges could access this system. Check if physical access or high-privilege local accounts (administrator/root) are present in the environment.Affected if The system is reachable locally by an account with high privileges, combined with a firmware version below 1.5.6, the full attack chain for this CVE becomes applicable.
A user is affected if their PowerEdge server model is one of the eight listed and the installed BIOS/firmware version is below 1.5.6.
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 · scoped1.5.6
Apply available Dell BIOS/firmware updates from Dell's support portal for affected PowerEdge and Precision systems. Restrict physical access to systems and follow least-privilege principles to limit the attack surface.
Firmware version 1.5.6
- Identify your specific PowerEdge model (R660, R760, C6620, Mx760c, R860, R960, Hs5610, or Hs5620)
- Navigate to the Dell Support website (www.dell.com) and locate the drivers and downloads section for your specific PowerEdge model
- Search for BIOS/firmware updates and download version 1.5.6 or later
- Verify the downloaded update package matches your server model and current BIOS version
- Apply the BIOS firmware update using one of the following methods: (a) Dell iDRAC web interface under the Maintenance section, (b) Dell Update Package (DUP) executable, or (c) BIOS setup utility if available
- Allow the firmware update to complete without interrupting power - the server will reboot automatically
- After the update completes, verify the BIOS version shows 1.5.6 or later in iDRAC or BIOS setup
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32461 — 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-2023-32461 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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