CVE-2025-35972 is a vulnerability in the Intel MPI Library before version 2021.16 that allows escalation of privilege due to an uncontrolled search path in user-space (Ring 3) applications. The Intel MPI Library is widely used in high-performance computing (HPC) environments to facilitate message passing between nodes. The vulnerability stems from the library's failure to securely handle the search path for dependent libraries or executables, which can be exploited by an unprivileged, authenticated local user. An attacker with local access and the ability to interact with the system can manipulate the search path to load malicious code, thereby escalating their privileges. The attack complexity is high, requiring active user interaction and no special internal knowledge, which limits the ease of exploitation. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the vulnerable system at a high level within the scope of the affected process or user context. However, it does not extend to system-wide impacts beyond the compromised user context. No public exploits are known at this time, and Intel has assigned a CVSS 4.0 base score of 5.4 (medium severity). The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure library loading practices in HPC software stacks, where privilege boundaries are critical. The issue can be mitigated by upgrading to Intel MPI Library version 2021.16 or later, which addresses the search path control, and by enforcing strict permissions and environment controls to prevent unauthorized library injection.

For European organizations, especially those operating HPC clusters in research, academia, and scientific computing, this vulnerability poses a risk of local privilege escalation. Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges on compute nodes or user workstations, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive research data or disruption of computational workloads. The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of HPC environments could be compromised, affecting ongoing research projects and data integrity. Although exploitation requires local access and user interaction, insider threats or compromised user accounts could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges. This could lead to lateral movement within HPC clusters or access to restricted data sets. The impact is particularly relevant for organizations handling sensitive or regulated data under GDPR, where unauthorized access or data corruption could result in compliance violations and reputational damage. However, the medium severity and high complexity reduce the likelihood of widespread exploitation without targeted attacks.

1. Upgrade the Intel MPI Library to version 2021.16 or later, where the vulnerability is patched. 2. Review and harden the environment variables and search paths used by MPI applications to ensure they do not allow loading of untrusted libraries. 3. Implement strict file system permissions on directories containing MPI libraries and executables to prevent unauthorized modifications. 4. Limit local user access to HPC nodes and enforce strong authentication and user activity monitoring to detect suspicious behavior. 5. Educate users about the risks of interacting with untrusted files or executing unverified code within HPC environments. 6. Employ application whitelisting or integrity verification mechanisms to detect unauthorized library injections. 7. Regularly audit and monitor HPC cluster environments for anomalies related to library loading and privilege escalations. 8. Consider network segmentation and access controls to restrict lateral movement in case of compromise.