CVE-2025-31655 is a vulnerability identified in the Intel(R) Battery Life Diagnostic Tool, a utility running in Ring 3 (user mode) designed to assess battery performance on Intel-based systems. The root cause is incorrect default permissions set on components of this tool, which allows an unprivileged, authenticated local user to escalate their privileges. The attack requires local access and active user interaction, with a high complexity level, meaning it is not trivial to exploit and likely requires specific conditions or user actions. The vulnerability affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system at a high level if successfully exploited, potentially allowing an attacker to gain elevated privileges and perform unauthorized actions. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H) indicates local attack vector, high attack complexity, privileges required at low level, user interaction required, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches are explicitly linked yet, though Intel is likely to release updates. This vulnerability is particularly relevant in environments where multiple users have local access to systems running this tool, such as corporate or industrial settings. The lack of special internal knowledge needed lowers the bar for attackers who have legitimate user credentials but want to escalate privileges.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk primarily in environments where multiple users have local access to Intel-based systems with the Battery Life Diagnostic Tool installed. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized privilege escalation, enabling attackers to execute malicious code with higher privileges, access sensitive data, or disrupt system availability. This is particularly concerning for sectors with strict data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. The high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability could lead to data breaches, system downtime, or manipulation of system diagnostics. However, the high attack complexity and requirement for user interaction reduce the likelihood of widespread automated attacks, making targeted attacks more probable. Organizations relying heavily on Intel hardware and diagnostic tools in shared or multi-user environments are at increased risk. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate threat but does not preclude future exploitation once proof-of-concept or exploit code becomes available.

1. Immediately audit and restrict permissions on the Intel Battery Life Diagnostic Tool files and associated components to ensure only authorized administrators have access. 2. Limit local user access on systems where the tool is installed, especially in shared or multi-user environments. 3. Monitor logs for unusual privilege escalation attempts or unexpected user interactions with the diagnostic tool. 4. Apply security updates and patches from Intel promptly once released to address this vulnerability. 5. Implement application whitelisting and endpoint protection to detect and block unauthorized privilege escalation attempts. 6. Educate users about the risks of interacting with unknown or suspicious prompts that could trigger the exploit. 7. Consider disabling or uninstalling the Battery Life Diagnostic Tool on systems where it is not essential, reducing the attack surface. 8. Use least privilege principles for user accounts to minimize potential damage from escalated privileges. 9. Employ network segmentation to limit lateral movement if escalation occurs on a compromised host.