CVE-2025-20053

Privilege escalation via undisclosed firmware buffer operation

Published Aug 12, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026

Improper buffer restrictions in Intel Xeon processor firmware with SGX enabled allow privileged local users to escalate privileges. Intel has not disclosed the affected firmware locus, the buffer operation lacking bounds enforcement, or the triggering input. Exploitation requires local access, high privileges, SGX enabled, and high attack complexity; successful exploitation compromises confidentiality and integrity without reported availability impact.

CVSS severity7.0
High
EPSS probability0.15%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Improper buffer restrictions in Intel Xeon processor firmware with SGX enabled allow privileged local users to escalate privileges. Intel has not disclosed the affected firmware locus, the buffer operation lacking bounds enforcement, or the triggering input. Exploitation requires local access, high privileges, SGX enabled, and high attack complexity; successful exploitation compromises confidentiality and integrity without reported availability impact.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-20053
Published
Aug 12, 2025
Updated
Feb 26, 2026
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-119, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 12, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 26, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.0Intel CorporationCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
7.2Intel CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-119Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo