CVE-2025-32453: Intel Graphics Driver Privilege Escalation

CVE-2025-32453 Overview

CVE-2025-32453 is a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Intel Graphics Driver software. The vulnerability stems from incorrect default permissions within Ring 2 privileged processes, which may allow an unprivileged software adversary with authenticated user access to escalate privileges on the affected system.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation could allow local attackers to escalate privileges, potentially gaining unauthorized control over the vulnerable system with high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

• Intel(R) Graphics Driver software (specific versions not disclosed)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-10 - CVE-2025-32453 published to NVD
• 2026-02-10 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-32453

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions), indicating that the Intel Graphics Driver software fails to properly restrict access permissions within Ring 2 privileged processes. Ring 2 represents a processor privilege level that, while less privileged than the kernel (Ring 0), still maintains elevated access compared to user-mode applications (Ring 3).

The exploitation scenario requires local access to the target system with an authenticated user context. The attack complexity is high, meaning successful exploitation depends on specific conditions being present, and requires active user interaction to trigger the vulnerable code path. The attacker does not need specialized internal knowledge of the system to attempt exploitation.

When successfully exploited, the vulnerability allows an attacker to escalate their privileges, resulting in high impact to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the vulnerable system. However, the vulnerability does not enable propagation to subsequent systems, as indicated by the unchanged scope in the security assessment.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-32453 lies in the improper configuration of default permissions within the Intel Graphics Driver software's Ring 2 privileged processes. The driver fails to implement sufficiently restrictive access controls, allowing unauthorized operations by lower-privileged entities. This misconfiguration creates an opportunity for privilege escalation when attack preconditions are met.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is local, requiring the adversary to have prior access to the target system. The attacker must be authenticated as a user on the system and must wait for or induce specific attack requirements to be present. User interaction is required, which could involve actions such as opening a malicious file or interacting with a compromised application that leverages the graphics driver.

The exploitation mechanism involves taking advantage of the overly permissive default permissions to execute operations that should be restricted to higher privilege levels. This allows the attacker to bypass intended security boundaries within the driver's privilege separation model.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-32453

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual process activity involving Intel Graphics Driver components with elevated privileges
• Unexpected permission changes on driver-related files or registry entries
• Anomalous system calls originating from graphics driver processes
• Evidence of privilege escalation attempts in security event logs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for abnormal access patterns to Intel Graphics Driver files and processes
• Implement file integrity monitoring on graphics driver components
• Enable Windows Security Event logging for privilege escalation events (Event IDs 4672, 4673)
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying local privilege escalation techniques

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure audit policies to capture driver loading and permission modification events
• Implement behavioral analysis to detect anomalous graphics driver activity
• Review system logs for unexpected privilege transitions involving authenticated users
• Monitor for suspicious parent-child process relationships involving driver components

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-32453

Immediate Actions Required

• Review the Intel Security Advisory SA-01385 for specific remediation guidance
• Update Intel Graphics Driver software to the latest patched version as recommended by Intel
• Restrict local access to systems with Intel Graphics Drivers to trusted users only
• Implement the principle of least privilege for user accounts on affected systems

Patch Information

Intel has released a security advisory addressing this vulnerability. System administrators should consult the Intel Security Advisory SA-01385 for specific patch information and updated driver versions. Organizations should prioritize testing and deploying the updated drivers through their standard patch management processes.

Workarounds

• Limit local user access to systems with affected Intel Graphics Drivers
• Implement application whitelisting to restrict which applications can interact with the graphics driver
• Enable enhanced security auditing to detect exploitation attempts
• Consider temporary use of alternative graphics solutions where operationally feasible until patching is complete