CVE-2019-18216

Description

The BIOS configuration design on ASUS ROG Zephyrus M GM501GS laptops with BIOS 313 relies on the main battery instead of using a CMOS battery, which reduces the value of a protection mechanism in which booting from a USB device is prohibited. Attackers who have physical laptop access can exhaust the main battery to reset the BIOS configuration, and then achieve direct access to the hard drive by booting a live USB OS without disassembling the laptop. NOTE: the vendor has apparently indicated that this is "normal" and use of the same battery for the BIOS and the overall system is a "new design." However, the vendor apparently plans to "improve" this an unspecified later time

6.8

CVSS

Severity: Medium

CVSS 3.1 •

CVSS 2.0 •

EPSS 0.14%

Third-Party Advisory modpr0.be

Affected: n/a n/a

References

Link	Tags
https://blog.modpr0.be/2019/10/18/asus-rog-bios-reset-on-lost-battery-power/	third party advisory

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2019-18216?: CVE-2019-18216 has been scored as a medium severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2019-18216?: To fix CVE-2019-18216, make sure you are using an up-to-date version of the affected component(s) by checking the vendor release notes. As for now, there are no other specific guidelines available.
Is CVE-2019-18216 being actively exploited in the wild?: As for now, there are no information to confirm that CVE-2019-18216 is being actively exploited. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~0% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.

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