CVE-2025-35968

Privilege escalation via unset SMI lock

Published Nov 11, 2025 · Updated Nov 11, 2025

Protection mechanism failure in Intel Slim Bootloader allows local users with existing privileges to escalate through UEFI firmware. The Idaville Stage2 BoardInit ReadyToBoot path leaves the SMI_LOCK bit unset instead of locking system-management interrupts before OSLoader starts. Exploitation requires high complexity and additional attack requirements but no user interaction, and grants control over the vulnerable system's confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

CVSS severity7.1
High
EPSS probability0.11%
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

Protection mechanism failure in Intel Slim Bootloader allows local users with existing privileges to escalate through UEFI firmware. The Idaville Stage2 BoardInit ReadyToBoot path leaves the SMI_LOCK bit unset instead of locking system-management interrupts before OSLoader starts. Exploitation requires high complexity and additional attack requirements but no user interaction, and grants control over the vulnerable system's confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-35968
Published
Nov 11, 2025
Updated
Nov 11, 2025
Vendor
Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
Product
Slim Bootloader
Classifications
CWE-693, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Nov 11, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 11, 2025Record 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 privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc. · Slim Bootloaderversion=See references

Published CVSS scores

6.4Intel CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.1Intel CorporationCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA: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 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-693Protection Mechanism Failure
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