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Your Dell laptop might have a security vulnerability. Here’s how to fix it.
After a security research firm discovered a security vulnerability that could give hackers access to your laptop, Dell is taking action with a fix. Impacting hundreds of millions of laptops across more than 380 models (including XPS, and Alienware) released since 2009, there are now more ways than one for you to address the urgent issue.
At the heart of this problem is a driver that Dell’s laptops use to handle firmware updates. According to a Dell support page, this driver comes packaged with Dell Client firmware update utility packages and software tools, and a vulnerability within it can “lead to escalation of privileges, denial of service, or information disclosure.”
The support page lists all impacted laptop models, including the XPS 13, XPS 15, and other Alienware laptops. You can search through the list of models to see if your laptop is impacted, but keep in mind, the majority of the laptops impacted are ones that are considered out of service by Dell. Dell and security researchers also believe that the vulnerability was not exploited.
If your laptop is impacted, there are two steps for you to fix it. First, you must manually remove the driver using this Dell tool. After that, you can update your laptop’s firmware, update Dell Command Update, Dell Update, or Alienware Update, or install the latest version of Dell System Inventory Agent or Dell Platform Tags. Updating the firmware will prevent the driver from becoming reintroduced into the system, according to Dell.
If you never updated your Dell laptop through Dell Command Update, Dell Update, Alienware Update, Dell System Inventory Agent, or Dell Platform Tags, then you’re likely not impacted by this issue. Dell says Windows Update does not install the affected dbutil_2_3.sys driver.
It’s important to note that someone would have needed physical or remote access to your laptop first to take advantage of this vulnerability. The driver also only gets installed with firmware updates and is not pre-installed. Dell even says it has remediated this for all new PCs shipping from the factory, except for systems shipping with Dell Command Update, Dell Update, or Alienware Update which might be automatically updated at first run.
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Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
Dell vs. HP: Which laptop brand is best for your needs?
Dell and HP are on our list of the best laptop brands for a reason. In recent years, both of these laptop manufacturers have consistently produced some of the most well-designed machines you can buy. So it’s understandable if you’re shopping for a new laptop, and you’re having trouble deciding between these two huge, highly-rated brands. Both have a lot to offer and it can be overwhelming to sift through all of the cool features, price points, and other factors you might want to consider before purchasing a laptop from either of these manufacturers.
And if you do need help picking the right laptop brand for yourself, you’ve come to the right place. In this comparison guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know about the differences between HP’s best laptops and Dell’s best laptops. Specifically, we’ll go over how they differ in design, their respective features, their price ranges, and which brands are best for certain use cases like school, business, video editing, and gaming.
Design
Does Dell or HP make the best 16-inch laptop? You might be surprised
You can spend a lot of money on 16-inch laptops with fast components for video editing and photo editing. We're talking $2,500 and a lot more. But there's a class of midrange 16-inch machines that offer much of the same performance for less money.
Dell's Inspiron 16 Plus and HP's Envy 16 are two such laptops with prices that start well under $2,000. Both can be equipped with some fast components, but they're not identical by any means. Which of these more affordable 16-inch powerhouses is the best?
Specs and configurations
Newegg wants your old GPU — here’s how much you could get
Upgrading to a new graphics card can be a hassle, and it has been even more difficult ever since the GPU shortage. Today, there are way too many models to choose from, and keeping track of prices is not easy. In an effort to make things a bit simpler, Newegg has announced a new trade-in program. The online retailer is offering customers a deal in which they send in their existing eligible GPU and receive a trade-in credit amount toward the purchase of a new qualifying graphics card.
According to Amir Asadibagheri, product manager of customer experience for Newegg, “the benefit of our trade-in program is the ease to send a used graphics card and buy a new one all within the same platform and avoiding the hassle of selling through a secondary market.” Newegg has given a list of all Nvidia and AMD graphics cards that are eligible, along with an estimated trade-in value. Notably, the trade-in is limited to Nvidia’s RTX series and AMD’s Radeon 5000 series and beyond.
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