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CVE-2022-40261VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2022-40261: AMI Aptio · Buffer Overflow

Affects AMI AptioSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.2 High : upgrade to 6.0.0 soon.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
8.2High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 29% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 6.0.0
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 20 Sep 2022

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.

What to do

Upgrade AMI Aptio to 6.0.0.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
AMI AptioAffected
  • >=5.0.0 <6.0.0
Fixed in
  • 6.0.0

AI-suggested

Mitigating CVE-2022-40261 requires a multi-layered approach focused on firmware security and system integrity. First, organizations should promptly identify all systems running AMI Aptio 5.x firmware and monitor vendor communications for official patches or firmware updates addressing this vulnerability. Since no patches are currently linked, engaging with hardware vendors and AMI for timely updates is critical. If you cannot patch yet, organizations should implement strict access controls to limit administrative privileges and restrict physical and remote access to systems to trusted personnel only. Employ hardware-based security features such as Intel Boot Guard or AMD Platform Secure Boot where available to enforce firmware integrity. Utilize firmware integrity monitoring tools that can detect unauthorized changes to BIOS/UEFI firmware. Regularly audit and verify firmware versions and configurations across the infrastructure. Employ endpoint detection solutions capable of detecting anomalous behavior indicative of firmware compromise. For virtualization environments, ensure hypervisor and firmware security features are enabled and properly configured. Finally, maintain robust incident response plans that include firmware compromise scenarios, enabling rapid containment and recovery if exploitation is suspected.

Description

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to elevate privileges from ring 0 to ring -2, execute arbitrary code in System Management Mode - an environment more privileged than operating system (OS) and completely isolated from it. Running arbitrary code in SMM additionally bypasses SMM-based SPI flash protections against modifications, which can help an attacker to install a firmware backdoor/implant into BIOS. Such a malicious firmware code in BIOS could persist across operating system re-installs. Additionally, this vulnerability potentially could be used by malicious actors to bypass security mechanisms provided by UEFI firmware (for example, Secure Boot and some types of memory isolation for hypervisors). This issue affects: Module name: OverClockSmiHandler SHA256: a204699576e1a48ce915d9d9423380c8e4c197003baf9d17e6504f0265f3039c Module GUID: 4698C2BD-A903-410E-AD1F-5EEF3A1AE422

References

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