The Dell BIOS allows users to set several different passwords to protect their machines from unauthorized access. There is:
1) A Setup Password, which is required to enter the BIOS setup, as well as
2) A Hard Drive Password, as per the ATA Security Feature Set Specification
Due to a bug in the BIOS, a password containing characters that cannot be later entered, c can be provided by a user. This allows a local user to create a denial of service (as the password authentication mechanism cannot be bypassed) situation.
Affected Systems:
Dell Inspiron 2650 System BIOS, A11 (A11 is the current BIOS as of writing, and was released in late September of this year)
More details: http://www.securiteam.com/securitynews/6T0022K95M.html
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Donna
Security Software

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