Dell Systems At Risk of Cyber Attack: How to Fix This Bug?

Sentinel Labs has found a flaw in laptops and desktops by Dell that could potentially allow cybercriminal groups to hack into systems of Dell users.

(Photo Courtesy: IANS)

A cyber security research team by Sentinel Labs has discovered a flaw in laptops and desktops manufactured by Dell that could potentially allow cybercriminal groups to hack into systems of Dell users.

According to Sentinel Labs, the vulnerability can be found in the form of a bug in a preinstalled software in Dell laptops and desktops.

The bug allows hackers to get admin-level access to a PC. After hacking into the dell systems, cyberespionage groups can easily plant malware or a ransomware.

As reported by Sentinel Labs, the flaw is a collective of five different bugs that were present in the Dell BIOS Utility driver, called DBUtil.

The report further suggests that the security vulnerability is present in the driver (dbutil_2_3.sys).

“These critical vulnerabilities, which have been present in Dell devices since 2009, affect millions of devices and millions of users worldwide. As with a previous bug that lay in hiding for 12 years, it is difficult to overstate the impact this could have on users and enterprises that fail to patch”

Sentinel Labs spokespeople

How Can You Fix This Issue?

While Dell has released a security patch for all its devices, if you're unable to apply the latest patch you can try removing the driver (dbutil_2_3.sys) manually from your computer system through command prompt.

Dell has also stated that the issue has been fixed for all the new laptops and PCs, except for those that laptops with “Dell Command Update, Dell Update, or Alienware Update". These will be automatically updated when you reboot your system.