CVE-2023-47252
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in PnpSmm in Insyde InsydeH2O with kernel 5.0 through 5.6. There is a possible out-of-bounds access in the SMM communication buffer, leading to tampering. The PNP-related SMI sub-functions do not verify data size before getting it from the communication buffer, which could lead to possible circumstances where the data immediately following the command buffer could be destroyed with a fixed value. This is fixed in kernel 5.2 v05.28.45, kernel 5.3 v05.37.45, kernel 5.4 v05.45.45, kernel 5.5 v05.53.45, and kernel 5.6 v05.60.45.
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in PnpSmm (PNP-related SMI sub-functions) within InsydeH2O UEFI firmware (kernels 5.0-5.6). The SMI handlers fail to validate data size before reading from the SMM communication buffer, allowing out-of-bounds write operations that can overwrite adjacent memory with fixed values.
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>= 5.2, < 5.28.45>= 5.3, < 5.37.45>= 5.4, < 5.45.45>= 5.5, < 5.53.45>= 5.6, < 5.60.45CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 if the system uses InsydeH2O UEFI firmwareRun `dmidecode -s bios-vendor` or check the BIOS vendor in the system firmware settings. Look for 'Insyde' or 'InsydeH2O' in the vendor string.Affected if The BIOS vendor is not InsydeH2O - this vulnerability only applies to InsydeH2O firmware
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Obtain the Insyde kernel versionRun `dmidecode -s bios-version` to get the firmware version string. For Insyde systems, the kernel version is encoded within this string (for example, versions like 5.2.x, 5.3.x, etc.). Consult Insyde documentation if the format is unclear.Affected if Unable to retrieve a version string or the system does not use InsydeH2O firmware
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Compare installed kernel version against affected rangesCheck if the Insyde kernel version falls within any of these ranges: >= 5.2 and < 5.28.45; >= 5.3 and < 5.37.45; >= 5.4 and < 5.45.45; >= 5.5 and < 5.53.45; >= 5.6 and < 5.60.45. These ranges indicate vulnerability to CVE-2023-47252.Affected if The installed kernel version matches any of the vulnerable version ranges listed
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Confirm SMI (System Management Interface) is enabledVerify that SMI is enabled in UEFI/BIOS settings. On x86 systems, SMI is typically always active for PnP functionality. Check UEFI setup under 'Advanced' or ' chipset' for 'SMI' or 'System Management Mode' settings.Affected if SMI is disabled - the vulnerability requires SMI to be active for exploitation (though SMI is almost always enabled by default)
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Check if PnpSmm module is present in the firmwareThis requires advanced firmware analysis tools (like UEFITool or similar) to inspect the firmware image for the PnpSmm driver module. This step is typically performed by security researchers or enterprise defenders with firmware extraction capabilities.Affected if The PnpSmm driver is absent from the firmware image
A system is affected if it runs InsydeH2O UEFI firmware with a kernel version that falls within any of the vulnerable version ranges AND has SMI enabled (which is the default).
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 · scoped5.28.455.37.455.45.45
Apply vendor-provided firmware updates (v05.28.45 or later for kernel 5.2, v05.37.45 for 5.3, v05.45.45 for 5.4, v05.53.45 for 5.5, v05.60.45 for 5.6). If updates unavailable, mitigate by restricting physical access and ensuring Secure Boot is enabled to reduce exploitability.
Upgrade to the fixed kernel version for your respective kernel family: v05.28.45 (5.2), v05.37.45 (5.3), v05.45.45 (5.4), v05.53.45 (5.5), or v05.60.45 (5.6)
- 1. Identify the current InsydeH2O kernel version by checking the UEFI firmware version or system information provided by the hardware vendor
- 2. Determine the kernel family your current firmware is based on (5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, or 5.6)
- 3. Obtain the firmware update from your hardware vendor (OEM/ODM) that includes the fixed kernel version for your specific kernel family
- 4. Apply the firmware update using the vendor's recommended method, typically through a BIOS/UEFI flash utility or via vendor-provided update tools
- 5. Verify after update that the new firmware version matches the fixed release (v05.28.45 for kernel 5.2, v05.37.45 for kernel 5.3, v05.45.45 for kernel 5.4, v05.53.45 for kernel 5.5, or v05.60.45 for kernel 5.6)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-47252 — 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-2023-47252 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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