CVE-2025-26404 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Intel(R) Data Streaming Accelerator (DSA) software versions prior to 25.2.15.9. The vulnerability arises from an uncontrolled search path issue within the software, which can be exploited by an authenticated user with local access to escalate privileges. Specifically, the software does not properly restrict or validate the directories from which it loads certain components or libraries, allowing an attacker with limited privileges to influence the execution flow by placing malicious files in the search path. This can lead to execution of arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially compromising system integrity and confidentiality. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates that the attack requires local access (AV:L), high attack complexity (AC:H), partial authentication (AT:P), and low privileges (PR:L). User interaction is required (UI:A), and the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (VC:H, VI:H, VA:H). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the vulnerability's nature makes it a significant risk in environments where Intel DSA software is deployed and accessed by multiple users. The vulnerability does not involve network attack vectors and is limited to local exploitation scenarios.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant, especially in sectors relying on Intel DSA software for high-performance data processing tasks such as telecommunications, financial services, research institutions, and cloud service providers. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker with limited local access to escalate privileges, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of critical services, or further lateral movement within the network. This could undermine data confidentiality and integrity, violate compliance requirements such as GDPR, and cause operational downtime. Given that Intel DSA is often integrated into enterprise-grade hardware and software stacks, the vulnerability could affect both on-premises infrastructure and hybrid cloud environments. Organizations with multi-user systems or shared environments are particularly at risk, as the vulnerability requires local authenticated access but can then be leveraged to gain elevated control, increasing the attack surface and potential damage.

To mitigate CVE-2025-26404, European organizations should prioritize upgrading Intel DSA software to version 25.2.15.9 or later, where the uncontrolled search path issue has been addressed. Until patches are applied, organizations should restrict local access to systems running vulnerable versions of Intel DSA software, enforcing strict access controls and monitoring for unusual privilege escalation attempts. Implement application whitelisting and integrity verification to detect unauthorized modifications in software directories. Additionally, system administrators should audit and harden the environment by removing or restricting write permissions on directories involved in the software's search path to prevent malicious file placement. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to identify suspicious local activities indicative of exploitation attempts. Regularly review user privileges to ensure the principle of least privilege is enforced, minimizing the number of users with local access. Finally, maintain comprehensive logging and alerting to facilitate rapid incident response if exploitation is suspected.