CVE-2024-32859
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 Client Platform BIOS contains an Improper Input Validation vulnerability in an externally developed component. A high privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Code execution.
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 Client Platform BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability in a third-party external component. An attacker with high privileges and local access can exploit this to achieve code execution, likely at the BIOS/UEFI level with system-wide persistence.
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< 2.6.0< 1.19.0< 1.16.0< 1.14.0< 1.19.0< 2.7.0< 1.20.0< 1.22.0CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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 your Dell system modelRun `wmic computersystem get model` from Windows command prompt, or `sudo dmidecode -s system-product-name` from Linux. Note the exact model name (e.g., XPS 8960, Inspiron 3502, Alienware X17 R2).Affected if The model matches one of the affected products: XPS 8960, XPS 8950, Inspiron 3502, Inspiron 15 3521, Inspiron 15 3510, Aurora R16, Alienware X17 R2, or Alienware X17 R1.
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Retrieve current BIOS firmware versionRun `wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion` from Windows command prompt, or `sudo dmidecode -s bios-version` from Linux. Alternatively, open Dell BIOS/UEFI setup (press F2 during boot) and check the BIOS version displayed on the main page.Affected if A BIOS version is returned from the system.
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Compare installed version against affected thresholdCross-reference your model and installed BIOS version with the affected version thresholds: XPS 8960 < 2.6.0; XPS 8950 < 1.19.0; Inspiron 3502 < 1.16.0; Inspiron 15 3521 < 1.14.0; Inspiron 15 3510 < 1.19.0; Aurora R16 < 2.7.0; Alienware X17 R2 < 1.20.0; Alienware X17 R1 < 1.22.0.Affected if Your installed BIOS version number is LOWER than the threshold listed for your specific model (e.g., XPS 8960 with version 2.5.0 is affected, but version 2.6.0 or higher is not).
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Confirm the vulnerability is exploitableVerify you have local physical access to the machine (required for exploitation per the advisory). The attacker needs high privileges; check if the account used has administrative or BIOS configuration access.Affected if You have local access to the system and an account with administrative privileges, and the BIOS version is below the affected threshold.
Your system is affected if it matches one of the eight Dell models listed AND its current BIOS firmware version is below the specified threshold for that model.
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 · scoped1.14.01.16.01.19.0
Apply the Dell BIOS/firmware update for this vulnerability through Dell's support infrastructure. Given the involvement of an externally developed component, verify the update addresses the specific third-party component vulnerability.
Xps 8960: 2.6.0+ | Xps 8950: 1.19.0+ | Inspiron 3502: 1.16.0+ | Inspiron 15 3521: 1.14.0+ | Inspiron 15 3510: 1.19.0+ | Aurora R16: 2.7.0+ | Alienware X17 R2: 1.20.0+ | Alienware X17 R1: 1.22.0+
- 1. Identify the exact Dell product model from the affected list (Xps 8960, Xps 8950, Inspiron 3502, Inspiron 15 3521, Inspiron 15 3510, Aurora R16, Alienware X17 R2, or Alienware X17 R1)
- 2. Visit www.dell.com/support and search for the specific product by model name/number
- 3. Navigate to the Drivers & Downloads section for the product
- 4. Select the correct BIOS update corresponding to the fixed version: Xps 8960: 2.6.0+, Xps 8950: 1.19.0+, Inspiron 3502: 1.16.0+, Inspiron 15 3521: 1.14.0+, Inspiron 15 3510: 1.19.0+, Aurora R16: 2.7.0+, Alienware X17 R2: 1.20.0+, Alienware X17 R1: 1.22.0+
- 5. Download the BIOS update file from Dell's official support site
- 6. Run the downloaded BIOS update utility (typically a .exe file)
- 7. Follow the on-screen prompts - the system will typically reboot to complete the BIOS flash process
- 8. Ensure the system remains powered on throughout the update process to prevent firmware corruption
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-32859 — 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-2024-32859 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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