CVE-2020-5362 in Client Consumer
Summary
by MITRE
Dell Client Consumer and Commercial platforms include an improper authorization vulnerability in the Dell Manageability interface for which an unauthorized actor, with local system access with OS administrator privileges, could bypass the BIOS Administrator authentication to restore BIOS Setup configuration to default values.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-5362 affects Dell client consumer and commercial platforms through their Dell Manageability interface implementation. This represents a critical authorization flaw that undermines the security posture of these systems. The issue manifests when an attacker with local system access and administrator privileges attempts to manipulate BIOS configuration settings. The vulnerability specifically targets the authentication mechanisms protecting BIOS Administrator access, creating a pathway for unauthorized configuration changes that could compromise system integrity and security controls.
This improper authorization vulnerability resides within the Dell Manageability interface component, which serves as the primary management interface for Dell client platforms. The flaw allows an attacker who already possesses local OS administrator privileges to bypass the required BIOS Administrator authentication process. This represents a privilege escalation issue where the existing administrative access is leveraged to gain elevated control over system firmware configuration. The vulnerability specifically impacts the ability to restore BIOS Setup configuration to default values, which could result in the disabling of security features or the reversion of protective configurations that were intentionally applied by system administrators.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes, as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of system firmware management. When an attacker can bypass BIOS Administrator authentication, they gain the ability to reset critical system configurations that may include security features like Secure Boot enforcement, TPM activation, or other firmware-level protections. This capability could be exploited to weaken the overall security posture of the device, potentially enabling further attacks or making the system more susceptible to exploitation by other threat vectors. The vulnerability essentially creates a backdoor within the system's management interface that allows for unauthorized firmware manipulation.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in system components. The flaw demonstrates a failure in implementing proper access control mechanisms within the Dell Manageability interface, specifically in how it handles authentication for BIOS-level administrative functions. Organizations implementing Dell client platforms face significant risk when this vulnerability is present, as it provides a clear attack path for determined adversaries who have already gained local administrative access. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique, specifically under the T1068 category for exploit for privilege escalation, where the existing administrative access is leveraged to achieve deeper system control.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2020-5362 requires immediate attention from system administrators and security teams. Dell has released patches and firmware updates to address this vulnerability, which should be deployed as a matter of priority across all affected systems. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring and access control measures to detect unauthorized attempts to manipulate BIOS configurations. Network segmentation and principle of least privilege should be enforced to limit the potential impact of local administrative access. Regular security assessments should verify that the patches have been properly applied and that no unauthorized configuration changes have occurred. System administrators should also consider disabling unnecessary management interfaces when not actively required for operations, reducing the attack surface for this and similar vulnerabilities.