CVE-2025-36553 Overview
CVE-2025-36553 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the CvManager functionality of Dell ControlVault3 and Dell ControlVault3 Plus. A specially crafted ControlVault API call triggers memory corruption in the affected component. An authenticated local attacker can issue the malicious API call to exploit the flaw. Dell ControlVault provides hardware-based credential storage on Dell commercial endpoints, making the component a high-value target for privilege escalation and credential theft. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-120 (Classic Buffer Overflow) and is documented in Talos vulnerability report TALOS-2025-2189 and Dell Security Advisory DSA-2025-228.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation leads to memory corruption in a security-sensitive credential-management service, enabling code execution with elevated privileges and compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Affected Products
- Dell ControlVault3 prior to version 5.15.14.19
- Dell ControlVault3 Plus prior to version 6.2.36.47
- Dell commercial endpoints shipping with ControlVault firmware
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-11-17 - CVE-2025-36553 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-36553
Vulnerability Analysis
The flaw resides in the CvManager component of Dell ControlVault3, a firmware-backed service that handles credential and biometric operations on Dell endpoints. The service exposes a ControlVault API used by host-side drivers and applications to request cryptographic and authentication operations. An input handled by CvManager is copied into a fixed-size buffer without adequate length validation, producing a classic buffer overflow condition classified under CWE-120. Because CvManager operates in a privileged context that brokers sensitive credential material, memory corruption inside the component can be leveraged to alter control flow, disclose credential data, or crash the service. The scope change reflected in the CVSS vector indicates that exploitation impacts resources beyond the vulnerable component itself.
Root Cause
The root cause is insufficient bounds checking on data supplied through a ControlVault API call. Attacker-controlled input reaches an internal buffer copy in CvManager and overwrites adjacent memory. Talos characterizes the outcome as memory corruption triggered by a specially crafted API request.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local access with low privileges and no user interaction. An attacker running code on a Dell endpoint issues a crafted ControlVault API call to the CvManager interface. The malformed request triggers the overflow inside the privileged service, providing a path to escalate privileges or tamper with credential operations. Full technical details are available in the Talos advisory.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-36553
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected crashes, restarts, or hangs of the ControlVault service (BcmBipDLL, WinBioPlugin, or related CvManager processes) on Dell endpoints.
- Windows Error Reporting entries referencing ControlVault modules with access violation or stack corruption faults.
- Anomalous processes invoking ControlVault APIs outside of legitimate biometric or smartcard authentication flows.
Detection Strategies
- Inventory Dell endpoints and identify systems running ControlVault3 firmware below 5.15.14.19 or ControlVault3 Plus below 6.2.36.47.
- Monitor for repeated or malformed calls to the ControlVault API from non-standard user-mode processes.
- Correlate ControlVault service crashes with preceding process execution to identify local exploitation attempts.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward endpoint process telemetry, service crash events, and driver load events to a centralized analytics platform for correlation.
- Alert on unsigned or newly introduced binaries interacting with ControlVault interfaces.
- Track firmware and driver versions of Dell ControlVault components across the fleet to confirm patch coverage.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-36553
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the Dell firmware updates referenced in DSA-2025-228 to all affected endpoints.
- Restrict local logon and administrative rights on Dell devices that store credentials in ControlVault.
- Audit third-party software that interacts with the ControlVault API and remove unnecessary integrations.
Patch Information
Dell has released fixed firmware in ControlVault3 5.15.14.19 and ControlVault3 Plus 6.2.36.47. Deploy the updates through Dell Command | Update, Dell Client Management Pack, or the Dell Support site as described in DSA-2025-228. Reboot the endpoint after installation to complete the firmware flash.
Workarounds
- Disable ControlVault-backed authentication features (fingerprint reader, smartcard, NFC) on unpatched systems if operationally acceptable.
- Enforce least privilege and application allowlisting to limit which local processes can reach the ControlVault API.
- Prioritize patching on endpoints used by privileged users, developers, and administrators where local code execution risk is highest.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
