CVE-2025-35998

Privileged local escalation via unprotected hardware interface

Published Feb 10, 2026 · Updated Feb 10, 2026

Missing interface protection in Intel QuickAssist Technology allows local users with high privileges to escalate on affected Xeon 6 systems. The Ring 0 component fails to protect an alternate hardware interface, but Intel has not disclosed the interface or the unsafe operation. Exploitation requires existing high privileges, special internal knowledge, and platform-specific conditions; it compromises host confidentiality and integrity without reported availability impact.

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

What happened

Missing interface protection in Intel QuickAssist Technology allows local users with high privileges to escalate on affected Xeon 6 systems. The Ring 0 component fails to protect an alternate hardware interface, but Intel has not disclosed the interface or the unsafe operation. Exploitation requires existing high privileges, special internal knowledge, and platform-specific conditions; it compromises host confidentiality and integrity without reported availability impact.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-35998
Published
Feb 10, 2026
Updated
Feb 10, 2026
Vendor
Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
Product
Intel QuickAssist Technology
Classifications
CWE-1220, CWE-1299, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 10, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 10, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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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. · Intel QuickAssist Technologyversion=See references

Published CVSS scores

7.9Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
7.9Intel CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
7.0Intel CorporationCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/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-1220Insufficient Granularity of Access Control
CWE-1299Missing Protection Mechanism for Alternate Hardware Interface
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

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Your stack

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