CVE-2024-22453
📋 TL;DR
A heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Dell PowerEdge Server BIOS allows local high-privileged attackers to write to unauthorized memory. This affects Dell PowerEdge servers with vulnerable BIOS versions. Attackers could potentially execute arbitrary code or cause system instability.
💻 Affected Systems
- Dell PowerEdge Servers
📦 What is this software?
Poweredge M630 \(pe Vrtx\) Firmware by Dell
View all CVEs affecting Poweredge M630 \(pe Vrtx\) Firmware →
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise, arbitrary code execution at BIOS level, persistent malware installation, or bricking of the server hardware.
Likely Case
System instability, crashes, or denial of service on affected servers from local administrators or compromised high-privilege accounts.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper access controls restrict local administrative access and BIOS-level protections are enabled.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local high-privileged access and BIOS-level exploitation knowledge. No public exploit code identified in references.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Dell advisory DSA-2024-105 for specific fixed BIOS versions per server model
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Identify your PowerEdge server model. 2. Visit Dell support site. 3. Download BIOS update from DSA-2024-105 advisory. 4. Apply update following Dell's BIOS update procedures. 5. Reboot server to complete installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Local Administrative Access
allLimit local high-privileged access to only necessary trusted personnel
Enable BIOS Security Features
allEnable BIOS password protection and secure boot if available
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit local administrative access to servers
- Monitor for unusual BIOS-level activity or unauthorized access attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check BIOS version against Dell advisory DSA-2024-105 for affected versionsCheck Version:
On Linux: dmidecode -s bios-version | On Windows: wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion | On iDRAC: Check BIOS version in iDRAC interfaceVerify Fix Applied:
Verify BIOS version has been updated to patched version listed in Dell advisory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual BIOS update attempts
- Failed BIOS access attempts
- System crashes or instability logs
Network Indicators:
- Not network exploitable - focus on local access monitoring
SIEM Query:
Search for: 'BIOS update', 'BIOS access denied', 'local privilege escalation' events from PowerEdge servers🔗 References
- https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000223209/dsa-2024-105-security-update-for-dell-poweredge-server-bios-for-a-heap-based-buffer-overflow-vulnerability
- https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000223209/dsa-2024-105-security-update-for-dell-poweredge-server-bios-for-a-heap-based-buffer-overflow-vulnerability
