CVE-2022-25966 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in Intel(R) Edge Insights for Industrial software versions prior to 2.6.1. The flaw arises due to improper access control mechanisms within the software, which is designed to provide analytics and operational insights for industrial environments. Specifically, the vulnerability allows an authenticated user with local access to escalate their privileges beyond their intended permissions. This escalation can lead to full control over the affected system, enabling the attacker to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the industrial environment managed by the software. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 reflects the significant impact, with a vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although exploitation requires prior authentication and local access, the low complexity and absence of user interaction make this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have access to industrial edge devices. The vulnerability could be exploited to gain unauthorized administrative capabilities, potentially disrupting industrial processes, stealing sensitive operational data, or installing persistent malicious code. No known exploits in the wild have been reported to date, but the risk remains significant given the critical nature of industrial control systems and the increasing adoption of edge computing in industrial settings.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-25966 can be substantial, especially those operating in manufacturing, energy, utilities, and critical infrastructure sectors that rely on Intel Edge Insights for Industrial software. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized control over industrial edge devices, causing operational disruptions, data breaches, and potential safety hazards. The confidentiality of sensitive industrial data could be compromised, including proprietary process information and operational metrics. Integrity violations could result in manipulated sensor data or control commands, leading to faulty operations or equipment damage. Availability impacts could cause downtime in critical industrial processes, affecting production lines and service delivery. Given the increasing digitalization and automation in European industries, this vulnerability poses a risk to operational continuity and regulatory compliance, particularly under frameworks like NIS2 and GDPR where industrial cybersecurity is emphasized. The requirement for local authenticated access somewhat limits remote exploitation risks but does not eliminate insider threats or risks from compromised user accounts within industrial facilities.

To mitigate CVE-2022-25966, European organizations should prioritize upgrading Intel Edge Insights for Industrial software to version 2.6.1 or later, where the vulnerability has been addressed. In addition to patching, organizations should enforce strict access controls on industrial edge devices, limiting local user accounts to only those necessary and ensuring strong authentication mechanisms are in place. Implementing role-based access control (RBAC) can minimize privilege exposure. Network segmentation should isolate industrial edge devices from broader enterprise networks to reduce the risk of lateral movement. Monitoring and logging local access attempts and privilege escalations can help detect exploitation attempts early. Organizations should also conduct regular security audits and user access reviews to identify and remove unnecessary privileges. Physical security controls are essential to prevent unauthorized local access to edge devices. Finally, integrating endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions tailored for industrial environments can provide additional detection capabilities against suspicious activities related to privilege escalation.