CVE-2024-0161 is a high severity (CVSS 7.2) flaw in Dell PowerEdge Server BIOS and Dell Precision Rack BIOS. SMM communication buffers are not verified properly, so a local attacker could write to SMRAM. Dell fixed it with model specific BIOS updates listed in DSA-2024-006.
What's affected
Dell advisory DSA-2024-006 lists affected PowerEdge and Precision Rack BIOS versions as all versions before the fixed version for each model. Some of the fixed versions:
- 1.1.2: PowerEdge T160, T360, R260, R360
- 1.9.1: PowerEdge T150, T350, R250, R350
- 1.13.2: PowerEdge R450, R550, R650, R750 families and several XR and XC models
- 2.19.0: 13th generation models such as R630, R730 and R730xd
- 2.21.2: PowerEdge R640, R740, R740XD, R940
The advisory covers many more models and groups them by fixed BIOS version. It says the table may not be comprehensive, so find your exact model in the advisory.
How to check if you're exposed
Read the BIOS version from the server, then match your model in the advisory.
racadm getsysinfo
The output includes the system BIOS version and the model. You can also read it in the iDRAC web interface or in the BIOS setup screen. For many servers, pull the BIOS version from your CMDB or your hardware management tool and compare it to Dell's table.
What to do now
- List PowerEdge and Precision Rack models in your estate with their BIOS versions.
- Match each to the fixed version in DSA-2024-006 and schedule the update.
- Apply BIOS updates in a maintenance window, as they need a reboot.
- Limit local and out of band access to the servers until updated.
- Confirm the new BIOS version after reboot.
Why it matters
The record classes this as CWE-20, improper input validation. System Management Mode is a privileged CPU mode used by firmware. Code running there should check any buffer handed over from the operating system. Dell says the check is missing here, so a local attacker could write into SMRAM, the memory that holds SMM code.
Firmware flaws matter because they sit below the operating system and are hard to spot. The vector requires high privileges and high complexity, with a changed scope, giving 7.2. The record does not show exploitation in the wild. Safeguard has a free in-browser dependency scan at gold.safeguard.sh/scan, and the Gold directory lists the CVE and CWE pages used here.
Quick check
Is there a workaround?
Dell lists none for this advisory. The fix is a BIOS update.
Will a software scan find it?
Not reliably. Check the BIOS version through iDRAC or racadm and compare it with the advisory.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
