CVE-2024-23594
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 · uneditedA buffer overflow vulnerability was reported in a system recovery bootloader that was part of the Lenovo preloaded Windows 7 and 8 operating systems from 2012 to 2014 that could allow a privileged attacker with local access to execute arbitrary code.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Lenovo system recovery bootloader for Windows 7/8 systems preloaded between 2012-2014. Exploitation requires a privileged attacker with local physical access, allowing arbitrary code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- High
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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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Confirm Lenovo system with Windows 7/8 preloaded 2012-2014Check system information: run 'msinfo32' or 'systeminfo' to identify the manufacturer (Lenovo) and original Windows version. Check the system purchase date or BIOS/UEFI date. For Lenovo, also check the service tag or recall lookup page if available.Affected if The system is a Lenovo machine that shipped with Windows 7 or Windows 8 and was manufactured between 2012 and 2014.
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Verify recovery partition exists and is accessibleOpen Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) or run 'list volume' in diskpart to look for a recovery partition. Check for a hidden or OEM partition typically labeled as 'Recovery' or 'LENOVO_RECOVERY'.Affected if A Lenovo recovery partition exists on the system from the original factory preload.
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Check if system recovery bootloader is enabledCheck boot configuration: run 'bcdedit /enum all' or access BIOS/UEFI boot options to see if the recovery environment is listed as a boot entry. Verify if the recovery bootloader can be triggered via boot menu (typically accessed by pressing Novo button or a function key on Lenovo).Affected if The recovery bootloader is listed as an active boot option or can be accessed via boot menu.
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Identify recovery bootloader version if accessibleIf the recovery environment can be booted, attempt to access system information within it. Alternatively, examine the recovery partition files for version indicators: look for files named 'bootloader', 'winre.wim', or similar in the recovery partition using 'dir /a' from command prompt with administrative privileges.Affected if A recovery bootloader version cannot be determined or matches the legacy 2012-2014 timeframe.
You are affected if your Lenovo system was originally preloaded with Windows 7 or Windows 8 between 2012 and 2014 and the recovery partition/bootloader from that era is still present and accessible on the system.
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.
From vendor dataFor legacy systems, verify if Lenovo has released firmware updates for the recovery bootloader. If no update available, consider disabling the recovery partition or migrating to supported hardware. Physical access controls can partially mitigate the risk.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-23594 — 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-2024-23594 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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