CVE-2022-23930: HP PC BIOS Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CVE-2022-23930 Overview

CVE-2022-23930 affects the system BIOS of certain HP PC products. The vulnerability allows a local attacker with high privileges to escalate privileges, execute arbitrary or unauthorized code, cause denial of service, or disclose sensitive information. The flaw resides at the firmware level, where successful exploitation can compromise the integrity of the platform below the operating system.

HP published a security advisory addressing the issue and providing updated firmware for affected devices.

Critical Impact

Local exploitation of the BIOS flaw can lead to arbitrary code execution at the firmware layer, bypassing operating system protections and persisting across reinstallation.

Affected Products

• HP PC BIOS on impacted consumer and commercial systems
• Systems listed in the HP security advisory ish_5817864-5817896-16
• Devices that have not received the corresponding HP BIOS firmware update

Discovery Timeline

• 2022-03-11 - CVE-2022-23930 published to the National Vulnerability Database
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-23930

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability exists in the system BIOS firmware of affected HP PC products. HP categorizes the issue as enabling escalation of privilege, arbitrary code execution, unauthorized code execution, denial of service, and information disclosure. The scope is marked as changed, meaning exploitation in the BIOS context impacts components beyond the originally vulnerable code.

BIOS-level vulnerabilities are particularly impactful because firmware executes before the operating system loads. Code running at this layer operates outside the visibility of most endpoint protection tools and can survive operating system reinstallation. HP has not disclosed the specific component or function within the BIOS responsible for the flaw, and no CWE category has been assigned in NVD.

Root Cause

The HP advisory does not publicly detail the root cause. The vulnerability is tracked under NVD-CWE-noinfo, indicating that NVD did not receive enough technical information to classify the underlying weakness. The advisory groups multiple BIOS issues together, and the impacted code paths likely reside in System Management Mode (SMM) or other privileged firmware handlers.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access and high privileges on the target system. An attacker who already holds administrative rights on the operating system can invoke the vulnerable BIOS interface to escalate into firmware execution context. No user interaction is required. Because the attack surface is the platform firmware, successful exploitation can establish persistence below the operating system and tamper with security features such as Secure Boot.

No public proof-of-concept code is available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Refer to the HP Security Document for vendor-specific technical guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-23930

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected changes to BIOS configuration, boot order, or Secure Boot state on HP endpoints
• Firmware integrity measurement mismatches reported by TPM-based attestation
• Unauthorized privileged process activity preceding firmware modification events on the host

Detection Strategies

• Inventory HP BIOS versions across the fleet and compare against the fixed versions listed in the HP advisory
• Monitor administrative tool usage capable of writing to firmware interfaces, including vendor BIOS update utilities
• Correlate local administrator logons with subsequent firmware-related WMI or driver activity

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Windows Defender System Guard or equivalent measured boot logging and centralize the events
• Collect TPM PCR values and firmware version telemetry into a SIEM for drift detection
• Alert on installation of unsigned drivers or kernel modules that could be used to reach SMM

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-23930

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the BIOS firmware update referenced in HP advisory ish_5817864-5817896-16 to all affected systems
• Restrict local administrative privileges to reduce the pool of accounts capable of reaching the BIOS interface
• Enforce Secure Boot and BIOS administrator passwords on every HP endpoint

Patch Information

HP has released updated system BIOS firmware for affected models. Identify the correct firmware package for each platform using the HP product support pages and deploy through HP Image Assistant, HP Manageability Integration Kit, or comparable enterprise tooling. See the HP Security Document for the complete model and version matrix.

Workarounds

• Set a BIOS administrator password to block unauthorized firmware configuration changes where patching is delayed
• Enable HP Sure Start, Secure Boot, and TPM-based measured boot to detect tampering at the firmware layer
• Limit physical and remote administrative access to affected endpoints until firmware updates are deployed

# Verify current HP BIOS version on Windows endpoints
wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion,manufacturer,releasedate

# Linux equivalent
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version
sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date