CVE-2024-25079
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 memory corruption vulnerability in HddPassword in Insyde InsydeH2O kernel 5.2 before 05.29.09, kernel 5.3 before 05.38.09, kernel 5.4 before 05.46.09, kernel 5.5 before 05.54.09, and kernel 5.6 before 05.61.09 could lead to escalating privileges in SMM.
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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in the HddPassword component of Insyde InsydeH2O UEFI firmware allows privilege escalation within System Management Mode (SMM). The flaw affects multiple kernel versions (5.2 through 5.6) across various platform generations, enabling an attacker with local or physical access to escalate privileges to the highest privilege level in the firmware.
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, < 5.29.09>= 5.3, < 5.38.09>= 5.4, < 5.46.09>= 5.5, < 5.54.09>= 5.6, < 5.61.09CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L
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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Check your system firmware vendorRun `dmidecode -s bios-vendor` or check in system BIOS/UEFI setup (usually press Del/F2/F12 during boot). Confirm the vendor is Insyde or InsydeH2O.Affected if The vendor is not Insyde (the vulnerability only affects InsydeH2O UEFI firmware).
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Obtain your UEFI firmware versionRun `dmidecode -s bios-version` or view the BIOS version in the UEFI setup menu under 'Main' or 'System Information'. Note the full version string.Affected if You cannot determine the firmware version (this is required for the next check).
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Determine the InsydeH2O kernel versionInsydeH2O kernel version is embedded in the firmware. Check your system vendor's BIOS update release notes or use a tool like UEFItool to extract the firmware version string, which typically contains a 5.x format matching the kernel versions listed (e.g., 5.2, 5.5, 5.6).Affected if You cannot identify the kernel version (the affected ranges are kernel 5.2 through 5.6).
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Compare your version against affected rangesIf your kernel version is 5.2-5.28.xx, you need version 5.29.09 or later. If 5.3-5.37.xx, need 5.38.09+. If 5.4-5.45.xx, need 5.46.09+. If 5.5-5.53.xx, need 5.54.09+. If 5.6-5.60.xx, need 5.61.09+. Check if your installed version is less than the minimum fixed version for your kernel.Affected if Your firmware version is below the minimum fixed version for your kernel branch (e.g., kernel 5.5 below 5.54.09).
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Verify HddPassword feature usageThis vulnerability is in the HddPassword component. Check if your system uses HDD password functionality (often found in BIOS under 'Security' > 'Hard Drive Password' or similar). The flaw requires this feature to be present/configured in the firmware.Affected if You cannot determine if HddPassword is present (the vulnerability is in this specific component).
You are affected if your system uses InsydeH2O UEFI firmware with a kernel version between 5.2 and 5.6, and the firmware version is below the minimum fixed version for your specific kernel branch.
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 · scoped5.29.095.38.095.46.09
Update InsydeH2O firmware to version 05.29.09 or later for kernel 5.2, 05.38.09 or later for kernel 5.3, 05.46.09 or later for kernel 5.4, 05.54.09 or later for kernel 5.5, and 05.61.09 or later for kernel 5.6. This is typically performed via BIOS update from the system vendor.
Upgrade to InsydeH2O kernel version 05.29.09 or later for 5.x branches (specific to your kernel branch: 5.2→05.29.09, 5.3→05.38.09, 5.4→05.46.09, 5.5→05.54.09, 5.6→05.61.09)
- Identify the InsydeH2O kernel version currently installed on the affected system (typically viewable in BIOS setup under 'Security' or 'Information' pages
- Contact the system OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to obtain the specific firmware update that includes the InsydeH2O kernel fix
- Apply the firmware update through the OEM-recommended process, which typically involves flashing the UEFI/BIOS using the OEM's update utility or via Windows/HTTP-based firmware update mechanisms
- After firmware update, verify the InsydeH2O kernel version has been updated to one of the fixed releases: 05.29.09 (for kernel 5.2), 05.38.09 (for kernel 5.3), 05.46.09 (for kernel 5.4), 05.54.09 (for kernel 5.5), or 05.61.09 (for kernel 5.6)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-25079 — 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-2024-25079 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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