How severe is CVE-2022-33986?

CVE-2022-33986 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2022-33986 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (3rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2022-33986?

CVE-2022-33986 affects Insyde Kernel. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2022-33986?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2022-33986 published?

CVE-2022-33986 was published on 2022-11-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2022-33986

CVE-2022-33986 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Insyde Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.4. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-367.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.4)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (3rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-367
Affected product: Insyde Kernel
Published: 2022-11-15
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

DMA attacks on the parameter buffer used by the VariableRuntimeDxe software SMI handler could lead to a TOCTOU attack. DMA attacks on the parameter buffer used by the software SMI handler used by the driver VariableRuntimeDxe could lead to a TOCTOU attack on the SMI handler and lead to corruption of SMRAM. This issue was discovered by Insyde engineering during a security review. This issue is fixed in Kernel 5.4: 05.44.23 and Kernel 5.5: 05.52.23. CWE-367 CWE-367 Report at: https://www.insyde.com/security-pledge/SA-2022056

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-33986?: DMA attacks on the parameter buffer used by the VariableRuntimeDxe software SMI handler could lead to a TOCTOU attack. DMA attacks on the parameter buffer used by the software SMI handler used by the driver VariableRuntimeDxe could lead to a TOCTOU attack on the SMI handler and lead to corruption of SMRAM. This issue was discovered by Insyde engineering during a security review. This issue is fixed in Kernel 5.4: 05.44.23 and Kernel 5.5: 05.52.23. CWE-367 CWE-367 Report at: https://www.insyde.com/security-pledge/SA-2022056
How severe is CVE-2022-33986?: CVE-2022-33986 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2022-33986 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (3rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-33986?: CVE-2022-33986 affects Insyde Kernel. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-33986?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2022-33986 published?: CVE-2022-33986 was published on 2022-11-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:insyde:kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Insyde Kernel

CVE-2022-36337 — High (CVSS 8.2): An issue was discovered in Insyde InsydeH2O with kernel 5.0 through 5.5. A stack buffer overflow vulnerability in the…
CVE-2022-29279 — High (CVSS 8.2): Use of a untrusted pointer allows tampering with SMRAM and OS memory in SdHostDriver and SdMmcDevice Use of a untrusted…
CVE-2022-29278 — High (CVSS 8.2): Incorrect pointer checks within the NvmExpressDxe driver can allow tampering with SMRAM and OS memory Incorrect pointer…
CVE-2022-29276 — High (CVSS 8.2): SMI functions in AhciBusDxe use untrusted inputs leading to corruption of SMRAM. SMI functions in AhciBusDxe use…
CVE-2022-30772 — High (CVSS 8.2): Manipulation of the input address in PnpSmm function 0x52 could be used by malware to overwrite SMRAM or OS kernel…
CVE-2022-30771 — High (CVSS 8.2): Initialization function in PnpSmm could lead to SMRAM corruption when using subsequent PNP SMI functions Initialization…

All CVEs affecting Insyde Kernel →

Other CWE-367 (Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-25641 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SandboxJS is a JavaScript sandboxing library. Prior to 0.8.29, there is a sandbox escape vulnerability due to a…
CVE-2025-64180 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Manager-io/Manager is accounting software. In Manager Desktop and Server versions 25.11.1.3085 and below, a critical…
CVE-2025-34027 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Versa Concerto SD-WAN orchestration platform is vulnerable to an authentication bypass in the Traefik reverse proxy…
CVE-2026-25052 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): n8n is an open source workflow automation platform. Prior to versions 1.123.18 and 2.5.0, a vulnerability in the file…
CVE-2025-13032 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): Double fetch in sandbox kernel driver in Avast/AVG Antivirus <25.3 on windows allows local attacker to escalate…
CVE-2026-53838 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): OpenClaw before 2026.5.27 contains a state mutation vulnerability in node pairing reconnection that allows paired nodes…

Browse all CWE-367 (Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition) vulnerabilities →