CVE-2025-35999 Overview
CVE-2025-35999 is a privilege escalation vulnerability affecting Intel System Firmware Update Utility (SysFwUpdt) for Intel Server Boards and Intel Server Systems. The vulnerability stems from incorrect permission assignment for critical resources within Ring 3 (User Applications), which may allow an authenticated attacker with privileged access to escalate their privileges on the affected system.
Critical Impact
Successful exploitation could allow a privileged attacker to escalate privileges via local access, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.
Affected Products
- Intel System Firmware Update Utility (SysFwUpdt) versions prior to 16.0.12
- Intel Server Boards utilizing vulnerable SysFwUpdt versions
- Intel Server Systems Based utilizing vulnerable SysFwUpdt versions
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-02-10 - CVE CVE-2025-35999 published to NVD
- 2026-02-10 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-35999
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource), indicating that the SysFwUpdt utility does not properly restrict access to sensitive resources or functionality. The issue exists within Ring 3 user-space application context, where improper permission handling allows an attacker to leverage existing privileged access to further elevate their privileges on the system.
The vulnerability requires local access to the target system and necessitates the attacker already possess a privileged user account. While the attack complexity is considered low, certain attack prerequisites must be present, and passive user interaction is required for exploitation. The vulnerability does not require special internal knowledge of the system to exploit.
Upon successful exploitation, the impact to the vulnerable system is significant: confidentiality, integrity, and availability are all highly affected. However, the scope is unchanged, meaning subsequent systems are not impacted (none for subsequent system confidentiality, integrity, and availability).
Root Cause
The root cause of CVE-2025-35999 lies in incorrect permission assignment for critical resources within the Intel System Firmware Update Utility. The application fails to properly enforce access controls when handling firmware update operations, allowing users with elevated privileges to leverage the utility to gain additional system-level access beyond their intended authorization scope.
Attack Vector
The attack vector for this vulnerability is local, requiring the attacker to have direct access to the affected system. The attacker must possess a privileged user account to initiate the attack. The exploitation path involves leveraging the improperly configured permissions within the SysFwUpdt utility to perform actions that escalate privileges.
The attack requires certain environmental prerequisites to be present on the target system and involves passive user interaction, meaning a legitimate user action may inadvertently facilitate the exploit without the user's direct awareness of enabling the attack.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-35999
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual execution of the SysFwUpdt utility by privileged accounts outside of scheduled maintenance windows
- Unexpected permission changes to firmware-related files or system resources
- Anomalous privilege escalation events in system security logs associated with Intel firmware utilities
Detection Strategies
- Monitor execution of the Intel System Firmware Update Utility for unauthorized or unexpected invocations
- Implement file integrity monitoring on firmware update utility binaries and related configuration files
- Configure audit policies to log all access and execution of firmware-related utilities on Intel server infrastructure
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable comprehensive logging for firmware update activities on affected Intel Server Boards and Server Systems
- Establish baseline behavior for legitimate firmware update operations and alert on deviations
- Review system access logs regularly for privileged account activities involving SysFwUpdt or related components
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-35999
Immediate Actions Required
- Update Intel System Firmware Update Utility (SysFwUpdt) to version 16.0.12 or later immediately
- Audit privileged account access to affected Intel Server Boards and Server Systems
- Restrict local access to firmware update utilities to only essential administrative personnel
- Review and harden permissions on firmware-related critical resources
Patch Information
Intel has released version 16.0.12 of the System Firmware Update Utility (SysFwUpdt) to address this vulnerability. Organizations should obtain the updated utility from Intel's official support channels. For complete remediation guidance, refer to Intel Security Advisory SA-01412.
Workarounds
- Implement strict access controls limiting who can execute the SysFwUpdt utility
- Enforce principle of least privilege for all accounts with access to Intel server management utilities
- Consider temporarily disabling the firmware update utility on production systems until the patch can be applied
- Implement application whitelisting to control execution of firmware management tools
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
