CVE-2025-20079

Local privilege escalation via uncontrolled search path

Published May 13, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026

Uncontrolled search path in Intel Advisor before 2024.2 allows local users to escalate privileges through local resource resolution. Intel has not disclosed the affected executable or resource, or which search-path element is exposed to local modification. Exploitation requires low privileges, local access, high-complexity conditions, and active user interaction; success grants elevated execution.

CVSS severity6.7
Medium
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

Uncontrolled search path in Intel Advisor before 2024.2 allows local users to escalate privileges through local resource resolution. Intel has not disclosed the affected executable or resource, or which search-path element is exposed to local modification. Exploitation requires low privileges, local access, high-complexity conditions, and active user interaction; success grants elevated execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-20079
Published
May 13, 2025
Updated
Feb 26, 2026
Vendor
Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
Product
Intel Advisor
Classifications
CWE-427, T1574.008
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 13, 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?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=See references

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc. · Intel Advisorversion=See references

Published CVSS scores

5.4Intel CorporationCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
6.7Intel CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-427Uncontrolled Search Path Element
T1574.008Hijack Execution Flow: Path Interception by Search Order Hijacking

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