Dell Warns of Dangerous BIOS Flaw in Multiple Alienware Laptops

Dell has issued a security advisory urging users to update the BIOS of several Alienware models to address a vulnerability that could allow high-privileged attackers to bypass Secure Boot and execute arbitrary code. The flaw, identified as CVE-2024-39584, results from the use of default cryptographic keys in the BIOS, posing severe risks despite requiring local access for exploitation.

Vulnerability overview

The security issue, discovered by the BINARLY research team, stems from the use of a default cryptographic key in the BIOS of Dell client platforms. With a CVSS base score of 8.2, this vulnerability is classified as high severity. Exploiting this flaw requires local access, meaning the attacker must already have a significant foothold within the system. However, once exploited, the attacker could bypass Secure Boot, a security feature designed to ensure that only trusted software is loaded during startup.

This bypass could lead to the execution of arbitrary, potentially malicious code at the system's most privileged levels. Bypassing Secure Boot could allow malware to operate in stealth mode, evading all threat detection systems that run on the OS level. This could lead to long-term compromise of the affected systems, with the potential for sophisticated threats like rootkits or firmware-level malware to be deployed without triggering any security alarms.

Impact and remediation

Dell Technologies, headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, is a leading global technology company renowned for its high-performance PCs and client solutions. Given the prevalence of Dell's Alienware products in gaming and high-performance computing, the consequences of this vulnerability could be widespread, potentially affecting a significant number of users worldwide.

The vulnerability affects a wide range of Dell's Alienware laptops and desktops. The following systems are confirmed to be at risk:

• Alienware Area-51m R2 – upgrade to BIOS version 1.29.0 or later
• Alienware Aurora R15 AMD – upgrade to BIOS version 1.15.0 or later
• Alienware m15 R3, R4 – upgrade to BIOS version 1.29.0 or later
• Alienware m17 R3, R4 – upgrade to BIOS version 1.24.0 or later
• Alienware x14 – upgrade to BIOS version 1.21.0 or later
• Alienware x15 R1, R2 – upgrade to BIOS version 1.24.0 or later
• Alienware x17 R1, R2 – upgrade to BIOS version 1.22.0 or later

The updates were made available starting on August 27, 2024, and users are strongly advised to apply these patches immediately by visiting Dell’s Drivers & Downloads site and selecting their specific laptop model.