CVE-2022-24420 in Dell
Summary
by MITRE • 03/12/2022
Dell BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability. A local authenticated malicious user may potentially exploit this vulnerability by using an SMI to gain arbitrary code execution during SMM.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/16/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-24420 resides within Dell BIOS firmware implementations and represents a critical improper input validation flaw that undermines system security at the most fundamental level. This weakness specifically affects the System Management Mode execution environment where the firmware operates with the highest privilege level, creating a dangerous attack surface for malicious actors who can leverage this vulnerability to escalate their privileges from standard user level to full system compromise. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of inputs received during System Management Interrupt processing, which occurs within the System Management Mode where the firmware executes with unrestricted access to system hardware and memory.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires a local authenticated attacker who can successfully trigger a System Management Interrupt to manipulate the SMM execution environment. This allows the malicious user to execute arbitrary code within the most privileged execution context of the system, effectively bypassing all standard operating system security mechanisms including kernel protection, memory isolation, and user privilege controls. The flaw operates at the firmware level where traditional security controls such as address space layout randomization, data execution prevention, and kernel address space protection are either absent or ineffective due to the privileged nature of SMM execution. This represents a classic case of insufficient input validation where the firmware fails to properly sanitize or validate data received through SMI handlers, creating a pathway for code injection attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privilege escalation as it fundamentally compromises the integrity and confidentiality of the entire system. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain complete control over system hardware components, modify system firmware, establish persistent backdoors, and potentially exfiltrate sensitive data without detection. The attack vector requires local authentication but does not require physical access, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users have legitimate administrative access or where credential compromise occurs through social engineering or other attack vectors. This vulnerability affects the foundational security architecture of Dell systems and represents a critical failure in firmware security that undermines the trust model of the entire computing platform.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-24420 must focus on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to firmware security. Dell has released firmware updates to address this vulnerability, and system administrators should prioritize applying these patches immediately to all affected systems. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which specifically addresses improper input validation, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in firmware execution environments. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence through firmware modification, specifically targeting the system firmware and SMM execution contexts. Organizations should implement comprehensive firmware integrity monitoring solutions and consider adopting hardware-based security features such as Intel SGX or AMD SEV to provide additional protection layers against firmware-level attacks. Additionally, regular firmware security assessments and proper access controls for system management interfaces should be implemented to reduce the attack surface and prevent unauthorized exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in the future.