CVE-2025-24515 is a vulnerability identified in certain versions of Intel(R) Graphics Drivers that can lead to a denial of service (DoS) condition. The root cause of this vulnerability is a NULL pointer dereference error, which occurs when the driver attempts to access or manipulate memory through a pointer that has not been properly initialized or has been set to NULL. This flaw can be triggered by an authenticated user with local access to the system, meaning that the attacker must have some level of legitimate access to the affected machine but does not require elevated privileges beyond that. Exploiting this vulnerability results in a crash or hang of the graphics driver, which can cause the system or graphical interface to become unresponsive, effectively denying service to the legitimate user. The CVSS 4.0 base score of 6.8 classifies this vulnerability as medium severity, reflecting that while the impact on availability is high, the attack vector is local and requires low complexity but some privileges. There is no indication that user interaction is needed or that the vulnerability affects confidentiality or integrity. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches or mitigation links are provided in the data, suggesting that organizations should monitor for updates from Intel. The vulnerability affects Intel Graphics Drivers, which are widely used in many desktop and laptop systems, particularly those with integrated Intel graphics hardware. Given the local access requirement, this vulnerability is more likely to be exploited in environments where multiple users have access to the same system or where attackers can gain initial foothold through other means and then escalate impact by triggering this DoS condition.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-24515 could be significant in environments relying on Intel integrated graphics hardware, which is common in corporate desktops and laptops. The denial of service caused by the driver crash can disrupt normal business operations, especially in sectors where graphical user interface availability is critical, such as design, engineering, finance, and administrative functions. This disruption could lead to productivity losses and potentially impact service delivery if critical systems become unresponsive. Although the vulnerability does not directly compromise data confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact could be leveraged as part of a broader attack chain to cause operational disruption. In multi-user or shared workstation environments, such as call centers or public access terminals, the risk is elevated because an authenticated user could intentionally or accidentally trigger the DoS. Additionally, organizations with remote desktop or virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) setups using Intel graphics may experience service interruptions. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk, but the medium severity rating and local access requirement mean that internal threat actors or attackers who have gained initial access could exploit this vulnerability to cause denial of service.

To mitigate CVE-2025-24515, European organizations should take several specific steps beyond generic advice: 1) Inventory and identify all systems using affected Intel Graphics Drivers, prioritizing those in critical operational roles or multi-user environments. 2) Monitor Intel's official channels for patches or driver updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. 3) Restrict local access to systems with affected drivers to trusted users only, employing strict access controls and user account management to reduce the risk of exploitation by unauthorized or low-privilege users. 4) Implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for unusual system crashes or driver failures that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5) For environments using shared workstations or VDI, consider isolating user sessions and limiting the ability of users to execute code or commands that could trigger the vulnerability. 6) Educate users about the risks of local exploits and encourage reporting of system instability or crashes. 7) As a temporary workaround, if feasible, consider disabling or rolling back to a previous stable version of the Intel Graphics Driver until a patch is released, balancing this against potential loss of functionality or performance.