CVE-2023-39251
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 malicious user with high privileges could potentially exploit this vulnerability in order to corrupt memory on the system.
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 attacker with high privileges to corrupt memory on the system. The vulnerability exists in the BIOS firmware and stems from insufficient validation of input data, potentially leading to memory corruption during specific BIOS operations.
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< 1.20.0< 1.20.0< 1.23.0< 1.27.0< 1.23.0< 1.27.0< 1.25.0< 1.24.0CVSS 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 Dell system modelOpen a terminal and run `wmic computersystem get model` or check the system information in BIOS setup (press F2 during boot). Alternatively, check the physical laptop label or original purchase documentation.Affected if The system model is not one of: Inspiron 7510, Inspiron 7610, Latitude 5430 Rugged, Latitude 5521, Latitude 7330 Rugged, Precision 3561, Precision 5560, or Precision 5760 - then the system is not affected by this specific CVE.
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Check the installed BIOS firmware versionFrom Windows, open a command prompt and run `wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion`. From Linux, run `dmidecode -s bios-version`. Or during boot, press F2 to enter BIOS setup and view the BIOS version on the main information page.Affected if This step retrieves the current BIOS version installed on the system.
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Compare the BIOS version against the affected rangesCross-reference the retrieved BIOS version number with the affected version thresholds for your specific model. For Inspiron 7510/7610: affected if < 1.20.0. For Latitude 5430 Rugged/Latitude 7330 Rugged: affected if < 1.23.0. For Latitude 5521/Precision 3561: affected if < 1.27.0. For Precision 5560: affected if < 1.25.0. For Precision 5760: affected if < 1.24.0.Affected if If your model matches one of the affected products AND the installed version is below the specified threshold, your system is potentially affected by this vulnerability.
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Verify the attack prerequisitesThis vulnerability requires a local attacker with high (administrator or equivalent) privileges. Check if standard user accounts are in use or if privileged access is restricted. Review system audit logs for any suspicious privileged operations.Affected if The vulnerability is only exploitable by an attacker who already has high-level system privileges; this is not a remote or low-privilege vulnerability.
A system is affected only if it is one of the eight Dell models listed AND the installed BIOS firmware version is below the specified version threshold for that model, and the attacker already has high-level local privileges.
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 · scoped1.20.01.23.01.24.0
Apply the vendor-supplied BIOS firmware update from Dell to remediate this vulnerability. BIOS updates should be deployed following vendor guidance with appropriate rollback procedures in place.
Inspiron 7510: 1.20.0 | Inspiron 7610: 1.20.0 | Latitude 5430 Rugged: 1.23.0 | Latitude 5521: 1.27.0 | Latitude 7330 Rugged: 1.23.0 | Precision 3561: 1.27.0 | Precision 5560: 1.25.0 | Precision 5760: 1.24.0
- Identify your exact Dell system model (e.g., Inspiron 7510, Latitude 5521, Precision 5760)
- Navigate to www.dell.com/support and enter your system Service Tag or search for your model
- Locate the BIOS update section for your system
- Download the BIOS update file that matches your model
- Review the update release notes to confirm it addresses CVE-2023-39251
- Follow Dell's instructions to apply the BIOS update, which typically requires running the executable and rebooting the system
- Ensure the system remains powered on during the update process and do not interrupt the BIOS flash
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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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39251 — 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-2023-39251 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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