A newly discovered hardware vulnerability is putting millions of Dell laptop users at risk, marking yet another instance of critical flaws emerging from widely-used components. Hot on the heels of recent reports about security issues in Lenovo’s all-in-one PCs, Dell has now confirmed that over 100 models—including units from its Precision, Latitude, and Vostro series—are affected by a severe flaw in the Broadcom BCM5820X series chips. These chips, commonly used to handle sensitive authentication processes, are at the center of five newly identified CVEs: CVE-2025-24311, CVE-2025-25215, CVE-2025-24922, CVE-2025-25050, and CVE-2025-24919.
The vulnerability targets the ControlVault3 security subsystem, which is responsible for safeguarding biometric authentication data and password storage. This makes the flaw especially dangerous, as it opens the door to potentially devastating consequences, including unauthorized data access and remote code execution. If successfully exploited, attackers could compromise stored credentials and gain system-level privileges. Dell has classified the issue as “critical,” emphasizing the urgent need for users to take action.
The company has responded by coordinating with its firmware supplier to develop and distribute the necessary security patches. The vulnerabilities were initially disclosed on June 13, but Dell has only recently released complete technical details alongside updated guidance. Affected customers are urged to consult Dell’s official advisory (DSA-2025-053), where a full list of impacted devices and update instructions can be found. The advisory provides direct download links to the required firmware updates.
If you suspect your device may be affected, Dell recommends using the Dell Command Center to check for available patches or manually accessing their support site to apply the latest updates. In the interest of cybersecurity hygiene, at the very least, users should ensure all critical patches are installed immediately to safeguard against known threats. With attackers increasingly exploiting hardware-level flaws, timely updates are more essential than ever.
