Privilege escalation via SmiVariable TOCTOU race
Published May 13, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026
A TOCTOU race in Intel Server Board D50DNP and M50FCP UEFI before R01.02.0003 allows local users to escalate privileges. The SmiVariable driver checks firmware state and later uses that state without ensuring it remains unchanged, but Intel has not disclosed the exact operation or input involved. Exploitation requires high local privileges, high-complexity race timing, and an additional runtime condition; success grants privileges beyond those already held.
Summary
What happened
A TOCTOU race in Intel Server Board D50DNP and M50FCP UEFI before R01.02.0003 allows local users to escalate privileges. The SmiVariable driver checks firmware state and later uses that state without ensuring it remains unchanged, but Intel has not disclosed the exact operation or input involved. Exploitation requires high local privileges, high-complexity race timing, and an additional runtime condition; success grants privileges beyond those already held.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-20082
- Published
- May 13, 2025
- Updated
- Feb 26, 2026
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-367, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 13, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- 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?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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