CVE-2025-20618: Stack-Based Buffer Overflow in Intel PROSet/Wireless Software

Overview

The vulnerability CVE-2025-20618 is a serious flaw identified in some versions of the Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows, which may allow a privileged user to potentially cause a denial of service through local access. This vulnerability poses a significant threat to any organization that uses the affected versions of this software, as it can be exploited to compromise the system or even lead to data leakage.
Given the widespread usage of the Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software, especially in enterprise environments, this vulnerability could have a potentially large impact. Its severity cannot be understated, and attention must be given to applying the vendor patch or using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as a temporary mitigation measure.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2025-20618
Severity: High (7.9)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software for Windows | Versions before 23.100

How the Exploit Works

The vulnerability is a stack-based buffer overflow. This implies that an attacker can overrun the buffer’s boundary and overwrite adjacent memory locations, by providing input that exceeds a process’s stack, which is used for static storage of variables. This could potentially allow the attacker to manipulate the application’s data and control flow, which could be leveraged to execute arbitrary code, thereby compromising the system or causing a denial of service.

Conceptual Example Code

Here is a conceptual example of how such a vulnerability might be exploited. Please note that this is a highly simplified version of what a real exploit would look like, and is intended for illustrative purposes only.

# Exploit pseudocode
def exploit():
buffer = create_buffer_size(1024)
payload = create_malicious_payload(2048) # Larger than the buffer size
# Overwrite the buffer with the payload
for i in range(len(payload)):
buffer[i] = payload[i]
# Execute the buffer as code
execute(buffer)
exploit()

In this hypothetical exploit, the malicious payload is intentionally larger than the buffer, causing an overflow. This overflow can then be leveraged to execute arbitrary code on the system.