CVE-2025-22843 Overview
CVE-2025-22843 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Edge Orchestrator software for the Intel(R) Tiber™ Edge Platform. The flaw stems from incorrect execution-assigned permissions, categorized under [CWE-279]. An authenticated user with local access can leverage the misconfigured permissions to elevate privileges on the affected system. Intel disclosed the issue in security advisory SA-01239.
Critical Impact
An authenticated local user can escalate privileges, gaining unauthorized control over confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the Edge Orchestrator host and adjacent systems.
Affected Products
- Edge Orchestrator software for Intel(R) Tiber™ Edge Platform
- Refer to the Intel Security Advisory SA-01239 for specific affected versions
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-05-13 - CVE-2025-22843 published to NVD
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-22843
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in how the Edge Orchestrator software assigns execution permissions to processes or components running on the Intel Tiber Edge Platform. Under [CWE-279], the software grants permissions during execution that exceed what the invoking user should receive. An authenticated local user can interact with these over-privileged execution paths to run code or perform operations reserved for higher-privileged accounts.
Successful exploitation compromises the host that runs the Edge Orchestrator components. Because the Edge Orchestrator manages edge infrastructure and workloads, privilege escalation on the orchestrator host can affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability of managed edge nodes and the workloads they run.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper permission assignment during process execution. Instead of running with the least privileges required for its function, an execution context inherits or is granted elevated permissions that are accessible to a lower-privileged authenticated user. This misconfiguration violates the principle of least privilege and creates a bridge between low-privileged local access and high-privileged execution.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local access and prior authentication to the target system. The attacker does not need administrator rights to begin. Once logged in, the attacker interacts with the misconfigured Edge Orchestrator component and abuses its permissions to execute code, modify files, or invoke functionality with elevated privileges. No user interaction from another party is required. Attack complexity is high, indicating specific conditions or configuration states must be present for the technique to succeed.
No public proof-of-concept exploit is available at the time of writing, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. For technical specifics, consult the Intel Security Advisory SA-01239.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-22843
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected processes spawned by Edge Orchestrator components running with elevated privileges beyond their normal baseline.
- Local user accounts executing binaries or scripts that write to system directories or modify orchestrator configuration files.
- Anomalous permission changes on Edge Orchestrator binaries, service files, or associated directories.
Detection Strategies
- Audit file and process permissions across Edge Orchestrator installations and compare against a hardened baseline.
- Monitor authentication logs and correlate authenticated local sessions with subsequent privileged process execution.
- Alert on child processes of Edge Orchestrator services that execute shells, package managers, or credential-access utilities.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable process creation logging on hosts running Edge Orchestrator and forward events to a centralized analytics platform.
- Track invocations of setuid, setgid, and capability changes on Linux hosts, or token manipulation on Windows hosts.
- Baseline normal orchestrator activity and generate alerts for deviations in user context, parent-child process relationships, and file access patterns.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-22843
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the update referenced in Intel Security Advisory SA-01239 to all affected Edge Orchestrator deployments.
- Inventory hosts running Intel Tiber Edge Platform Orchestrator and confirm patch status.
- Restrict local interactive access to orchestrator hosts to a minimal set of administrative accounts.
Patch Information
Intel has published fixed versions through advisory SA-01239. Review the advisory for the specific patched build numbers and follow Intel's documented upgrade procedure. Validate the patch in a staging environment before rolling out to production edge nodes.
Workarounds
- Enforce least-privilege access on orchestrator hosts and remove unnecessary local user accounts.
- Segment orchestrator management networks to limit which users can obtain local sessions on affected systems.
- Apply host-based access controls and mandatory access control frameworks such as SELinux or AppArmor to constrain orchestrator processes where feasible.
# Configuration example: audit orchestrator binaries and services for over-permissive settings
# Review files owned or executed by orchestrator components
find /opt/intel/tiber -type f \( -perm -4000 -o -perm -2000 \) -exec ls -l {} \;
# List systemd units associated with the orchestrator and inspect their user context
systemctl list-units --type=service | grep -i orchestrator
systemctl cat <orchestrator-service> | grep -E 'User=|Group=|Capabilities='
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
