CVE-2025-27710 is a medium-severity information disclosure vulnerability affecting Intel(R) QuickAssist Technology (QAT) Windows software versions before 2.6.0. The root cause is an untrusted pointer dereference occurring within Ring 3 user applications, which can lead to unauthorized exposure of sensitive information. This vulnerability requires an attacker to have authenticated local access with low privileges, and the attack complexity is low, meaning it does not require advanced skills or special internal knowledge. The vulnerability does not require user interaction, making it easier to exploit once local access is obtained. The impact is confined to confidentiality, with no direct effects on system integrity or availability. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N) reflects that the attack vector is local, with low attack complexity, requiring privileges, no user interaction, and high confidentiality impact. Intel QAT is a hardware acceleration technology used to offload cryptographic and compression workloads, commonly deployed in enterprise environments to enhance performance. Since the vulnerability exists in the Windows software stack interfacing with QAT hardware, systems running vulnerable versions are at risk of data leakage through this flaw. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported to date, but the presence of the vulnerability warrants timely remediation to prevent potential data breaches.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-27710 is the potential unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information processed or cached by Intel QAT Windows software. This could include cryptographic keys, compressed data, or other sensitive payloads handled by QAT acceleration. Confidentiality breaches could lead to exposure of intellectual property, personal data protected under GDPR, or other sensitive corporate information. Although the vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, the confidentiality impact alone can have significant regulatory and reputational consequences. Organizations in sectors such as finance, telecommunications, and government, which often deploy hardware acceleration for performance, may be particularly at risk. The requirement for local authenticated access limits remote exploitation but insider threats or compromised accounts could leverage this vulnerability. Given the widespread use of Intel hardware and Windows in European enterprises, the scope of affected systems could be substantial if patches are not applied promptly.

European organizations should immediately identify all systems running Intel QAT Windows software versions prior to 2.6.0 and prioritize upgrading to version 2.6.0 or later where the vulnerability is resolved. Since no patch links are provided in the information, organizations should monitor Intel’s official security advisories and update channels for the release of a patch. In the interim, restrict local access to systems with QAT acceleration to trusted personnel only and enforce strict authentication and access controls to minimize the risk of exploitation by low-privileged users. Implement enhanced monitoring and logging for unusual local access or privilege escalation attempts on affected systems. Conduct audits to ensure that no unauthorized users have local access privileges. Additionally, consider isolating critical systems with QAT hardware from less secure network segments to reduce insider threat risks. Finally, review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving information disclosure through hardware acceleration vulnerabilities.