CVE-2023-25937 in Dell
Summary
by MITRE • 06/23/2023
Dell BIOS contains an improper input validation vulnerability. A local authenticated malicious user with administrator privileges may potentially exploit this vulnerability in order to modify a UEFI variable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2023
This vulnerability resides within Dell's BIOS implementation and represents a critical weakness in input validation mechanisms that could enable privilege escalation. The flaw specifically affects UEFI variable modification capabilities, which are fundamental components of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface framework that governs system boot processes and firmware settings. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of input parameters when processing UEFI variable operations, allowing an authenticated user with administrator privileges to manipulate system firmware variables that should remain protected. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and could potentially enable attackers to alter critical system parameters that control boot behavior, security policies, and hardware configurations. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because UEFI variables often contain sensitive configuration data that influences system security posture and can affect the integrity of the boot process. From a cybersecurity perspective, this issue aligns with CWE-20, which addresses improper input validation, and demonstrates how firmware-level weaknesses can create persistent attack vectors that may survive traditional operating system security measures. The vulnerability's exploitation requires local administrator access, but this access level is often sufficient to establish persistent footholds within enterprise environments where administrative credentials are frequently compromised through social engineering, credential theft, or other attack vectors. The potential for this vulnerability to enable bootkits, rootkits, or other persistent malware installations makes it particularly dangerous in enterprise and government environments where system integrity is paramount. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1068, which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation', and T1542, which covers 'Pre-OS Boot', as it enables manipulation of firmware-level components that occur before operating system execution. The attack surface extends beyond simple variable modification to include potential manipulation of secure boot policies, firmware update mechanisms, and other critical system configuration parameters that could allow attackers to bypass security controls, disable security features, or establish persistent access to systems. Organizations should prioritize patching this vulnerability as it represents a fundamental weakness in system firmware security that could enable attackers to gain deeper system control than typical local privilege escalation vulnerabilities would allow. The vulnerability's nature suggests that it may be exploitable through firmware-level attack surfaces that are often overlooked in traditional security assessments, making it a critical concern for organizations that rely on Dell hardware for mission-critical operations. Remediation efforts should include immediate firmware updates from Dell, along with comprehensive security assessments of affected systems to ensure no malicious modifications have already occurred. Security teams should also implement monitoring for unusual UEFI variable modifications and establish baseline configurations to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of firmware security in the overall attack surface and underscores the need for continuous firmware vulnerability management as part of enterprise security programs. Organizations should also consider implementing firmware integrity monitoring solutions and establishing secure boot policies that can detect and prevent unauthorized modifications to UEFI variables. This vulnerability demonstrates how firmware-level weaknesses can create persistent attack vectors that bypass traditional endpoint protection mechanisms and require specialized security controls to address effectively.