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CVE-2025-20012: Information Disclosure in Intel(R) Core™ Ultra Processors

Medium
VulnerabilityCVE-2025-20012cvecve-2025-20012
Published: Tue May 13 2025 (05/13/2025, 21:01:33 UTC)
Source: CVE
Vendor/Project: n/a
Product: Intel(R) Core™ Ultra Processors

Description

Incorrect behavior order for some Intel(R) Core™ Ultra Processors may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable information disclosure via physical access.

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 07/12/2025, 00:46:48 UTC

Technical Analysis

CVE-2025-20012 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Intel(R) Core™ Ultra Processors. The issue arises from an incorrect behavior order within the processor's internal operations, which may allow an unauthenticated attacker with physical access to the device to potentially cause information disclosure. This vulnerability does not require user interaction or authentication but does require physical access, which limits the attack surface primarily to scenarios where an attacker can directly interact with the hardware. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, as sensitive information could be exposed due to the processor's flawed behavior sequence. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates a physical attack vector (AV:P), high attack complexity (AC:H), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and high impact on confidentiality (VC:H) with no impact on integrity or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time, and no patches or mitigations have been linked in the provided data. The affected versions are unspecified but pertain to Intel Core Ultra processors, which are typically found in high-performance computing devices such as laptops and desktops. This vulnerability is notable because it involves hardware-level behavior, making software-only mitigations challenging and emphasizing the importance of physical security controls.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-20012 lies in the potential exposure of sensitive data through physical compromise of devices equipped with Intel Core Ultra processors. Organizations handling sensitive intellectual property, personal data under GDPR, or critical infrastructure information could face confidentiality breaches if attackers gain physical access to vulnerable machines. The risk is heightened in environments with less stringent physical security controls, such as shared workspaces, public access areas, or remote work setups. Although the vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, the confidentiality breach could lead to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and loss of competitive advantage. The medium severity and requirement for physical access limit the threat to targeted attacks rather than widespread remote exploitation. However, given the widespread use of Intel processors in European corporate and governmental sectors, the vulnerability warrants attention, especially in high-security environments.

Mitigation Recommendations

Mitigation strategies should focus on enhancing physical security measures to prevent unauthorized access to devices with Intel Core Ultra processors. This includes implementing strict access controls to server rooms, offices, and endpoint devices, using hardware locks, and employing tamper-evident seals. Organizations should also consider full disk encryption and secure boot mechanisms to reduce the risk of data exposure even if physical access is obtained. Monitoring for unusual physical access or device tampering can provide early detection of potential exploitation attempts. Since this is a hardware-level issue, software patches may be limited or unavailable; therefore, staying informed about Intel's advisories and firmware updates is critical. Where possible, organizations should inventory affected devices and assess their exposure risk, prioritizing high-value targets for enhanced physical security. Additionally, educating staff about the risks of physical device compromise and enforcing policies for device handling and storage can reduce the likelihood of exploitation.

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Technical Details

Data Version
5.1
Assigner Short Name
intel
Date Reserved
2025-01-24T04:00:26.691Z
Cisa Enriched
true
Cvss Version
4.0
State
PUBLISHED

Threat ID: 682cd0fa1484d88663aec40d

Added to database: 5/20/2025, 6:59:06 PM

Last enriched: 7/12/2025, 12:46:48 AM

Last updated: 8/1/2025, 3:24:49 AM

Views: 11

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