Dell CPG BIOS: Improper Input Validation (CVE-2021-36324)
Published Last modified Sources: CVE.org
What is affected, what to do
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 in SMRAM.
Update Dell CPG BIOS to version 1.13.0.
- Affected
- Dell CPG BIOS
lt *..1.13.0
- Dell CPG BIOS
- Fixed in
- Dell CPG BIOS
1.13.0
- Dell CPG BIOS
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Metrics
7.5
Priority
XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: Vendor (CNA), CVSS v3
7.5
CVSS v3
Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: CVE.org
0.2 %
EPSS score
Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 15.3
Show all metrics
- Severity
- High
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 39.36 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
XIEM Effective CVSS
XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.
Read in glossary- 7.5 Methodology
CVSS v3
CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.
Read in glossary- 7.5
EPSS score
The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.
Read in glossary- 0.2 %
- Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 15.3
- Elevated — this CVE ranks above at least 10% of all CVEs scored today.
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
- CISA assessment (SSVC)
- Exploitation: none known · not automatable · Technical impact: total
- Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 8 October 2026
CWE
CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.
Read in glossary- CWE-20
Detection rules
No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- High technical severity: assess and remediate the vulnerability in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2 and document the decision.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
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 in SMRAM.
Source: NVD (NIST), cvelistv5
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Affected versions | Fixed in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dell | CPG BIOS |
|
|
Vendors and products
- Dell Alienware 13 R3 Firmware
- Dell Alienware 15 R3 Firmware
- Dell Alienware 15 R4 Firmware
- Dell Alienware 17 R4 Firmware
- Dell Alienware 17 R5 Firmware
- Dell Alienware Area 51m R1 Firmware
- Dell Alienware Area 51m R2 Firmware
- Dell Alienware Aurora R11 Firmware
- Dell Alienware Aurora R12 Firmware
- Dell Alienware Aurora R7 Firmware
- Dell Alienware Aurora R8 Firmware
- Dell Alienware Aurora R9 Firmware
Affected operating systems
| Other | dell | alienware_13_r3_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_15_r3_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_15_r4_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_17_r4_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_17_r5_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_area_51m_r1_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_area_51m_r2_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_aurora_r11_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_aurora_r12_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_aurora_r7_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_aurora_r8_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_aurora_r9_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_aurora_ryzen_edition_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_m15_r1_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_m15_r2_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_m15_r3_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_m17_r1_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_m17_r2_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_m17_r3_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_x15_r1_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | alienware_x17_r1_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | chengming_3977_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | chengming_3980_firmware | — |
| Other | dell | chengming_3988_firmware | — |
Weakness classes (CWE)
CWE-20Improper Input Validation
Class
The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.
Entry at MITRE CWE-20
References & sources
- dell.comsupport/kbdoc/en-us/000192967x_refsource_MISC
Changes to this CVE
Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).
Record modifiedDell
New references:Show 3 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000192967Reference removed https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000192967—Reference type removed https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000192967 Types: Vendor Advisory—Source identifier: security_alert@emc.com
Record modifiedCISA ADP
CISA assessment (SSVC): exploitation: none known, automatable: no
Show the original change
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After SSVC assessment added —{"id":"CVE-2021-36324","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"none"},{"automatable":"no"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2026-10-08T21:01:29.726573Z"}Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Record modifiedCVE Program
New references:Show 3 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Reference added —https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000192967Reference removed https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000192967—Reference type removed https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000192967 Types: Vendor Advisory—Source identifier: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2021-36324"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2021-36324.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2021-36324 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>