Overview
The CVE-2025-20018 is a serious vulnerability detected in some versions of Intel Graphics Drivers. This security flaw allows an authenticated user to manipulate an untrusted pointer and potentially escalate their privileges via local access. Given that these drivers are widely used in several devices, this vulnerability could have far-reaching, devastating effects if exploited. The potential for system compromise and data leakage makes this a critical issue that requires immediate attention and action.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-20018
Severity: High (8.4 CVSS score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Intel Graphics Drivers | All versions prior to patch
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability stems from the handling of pointers by the Intel Graphics Drivers. Specifically, an untrusted pointer dereference vulnerability exists. A pointer, in computer programming, is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable. Dereferencing a pointer means accessing the data stored at the memory location pointed by the pointer. An untrusted pointer dereference can lead to unexpected behaviour, such as changing the value of a variable without the program’s knowledge.
In the case of CVE-2025-20018, an authenticated user can manipulate this untrusted pointer to escalate their privileges. This essentially means that a lower-privileged user could gain higher-level access rights, potentially giving them full control over the system.
Conceptual Example Code
While it’s not advisable to provide exact code for potentially malicious activities, a conceptual representation would look something like:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int *untrusted_pointer = get_untrusted_pointer();
int privileged_data = 0;
if (authenticate_user()) {
*untrusted_pointer = &privileged_data;
}
// The user can now manipulate the privileged data
// through the dereferenced untrusted pointer.
return 0;
}Mitigation
The best course of action to mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2025-20018 is to apply the vendor’s patch. Intel has already released a patch that addresses this vulnerability and all users are urged to update their drivers immediately.
As a temporary mitigation, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can help detect and potentially block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, these are not long-term solutions and the patch should be applied as soon as possible.