CVE-2025-3770: CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure in TianoCore EDK2
EDK2 contains a vulnerability in BIOS where an attacker may cause “Protection Mechanism Failure” by local access. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability will lead to arbitrary code execution and impact Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2025-3770 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in TianoCore's EDK2, an open-source implementation of the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) firmware. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-693, which pertains to Protection Mechanism Failure. Specifically, this flaw exists in the BIOS firmware layer, allowing an attacker with local access to bypass or cause failure in the protection mechanisms designed to safeguard the firmware environment. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution at the firmware level, which can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. Given that firmware operates below the operating system, such an exploit can lead to persistent and stealthy attacks that are difficult to detect or remediate. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.0, indicating a high severity level, with the vector string AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. This means the attack requires local access, a high attack complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a high level. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability affects version '0' as listed, which likely indicates an initial or unspecified version of EDK2. The flaw's presence in firmware makes it particularly dangerous because it can undermine all higher-level security controls and persist through OS reinstallations or disk replacements.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the critical role firmware plays in system security and trust. Exploitation could allow attackers to implant persistent malware that survives OS reinstallations, potentially leading to long-term espionage, data theft, or sabotage. Confidentiality breaches could expose sensitive corporate or governmental data, while integrity compromises could allow manipulation of system behavior or data. Availability impacts could result in system instability or denial of service at the firmware level, affecting critical infrastructure or business continuity. Organizations relying on hardware that uses EDK2-based firmware, including servers, desktops, and embedded systems, are at risk. The requirement for local access somewhat limits remote exploitation but does not eliminate risk in environments where attackers can gain physical or administrative access, such as through insider threats or compromised endpoints. The lack of patches increases the urgency for mitigation. Given the foundational nature of firmware, remediation and detection are challenging, increasing potential impact severity.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting physical and local access to systems running EDK2 firmware, including enforcing strict access controls and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. 2. Implement hardware-based security features such as TPM (Trusted Platform Module) and secure boot to help detect unauthorized firmware modifications. 3. Conduct firmware integrity checks regularly using cryptographic verification tools to detect tampering. 4. Maintain strict endpoint security policies to prevent privilege escalation that could lead to local access exploitation. 5. Monitor system logs and firmware event logs for anomalies indicative of firmware compromise. 6. Engage with hardware vendors and the TianoCore community to obtain patches or firmware updates as soon as they become available, and plan for timely deployment. 7. For critical systems, consider hardware replacement or firmware re-flashing procedures if compromise is suspected. 8. Educate IT and security teams about the risks of firmware vulnerabilities and the importance of layered security controls that include firmware protection.
Affected Countries
Germany, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Finland
CVE-2025-3770: CWE-693: Protection Mechanism Failure in TianoCore EDK2
Description
EDK2 contains a vulnerability in BIOS where an attacker may cause “Protection Mechanism Failure” by local access. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability will lead to arbitrary code execution and impact Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
CVE-2025-3770 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in TianoCore's EDK2, an open-source implementation of the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) firmware. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-693, which pertains to Protection Mechanism Failure. Specifically, this flaw exists in the BIOS firmware layer, allowing an attacker with local access to bypass or cause failure in the protection mechanisms designed to safeguard the firmware environment. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution at the firmware level, which can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. Given that firmware operates below the operating system, such an exploit can lead to persistent and stealthy attacks that are difficult to detect or remediate. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.0, indicating a high severity level, with the vector string AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. This means the attack requires local access, a high attack complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a high level. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet. The vulnerability affects version '0' as listed, which likely indicates an initial or unspecified version of EDK2. The flaw's presence in firmware makes it particularly dangerous because it can undermine all higher-level security controls and persist through OS reinstallations or disk replacements.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the critical role firmware plays in system security and trust. Exploitation could allow attackers to implant persistent malware that survives OS reinstallations, potentially leading to long-term espionage, data theft, or sabotage. Confidentiality breaches could expose sensitive corporate or governmental data, while integrity compromises could allow manipulation of system behavior or data. Availability impacts could result in system instability or denial of service at the firmware level, affecting critical infrastructure or business continuity. Organizations relying on hardware that uses EDK2-based firmware, including servers, desktops, and embedded systems, are at risk. The requirement for local access somewhat limits remote exploitation but does not eliminate risk in environments where attackers can gain physical or administrative access, such as through insider threats or compromised endpoints. The lack of patches increases the urgency for mitigation. Given the foundational nature of firmware, remediation and detection are challenging, increasing potential impact severity.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Immediate mitigation should focus on restricting physical and local access to systems running EDK2 firmware, including enforcing strict access controls and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. 2. Implement hardware-based security features such as TPM (Trusted Platform Module) and secure boot to help detect unauthorized firmware modifications. 3. Conduct firmware integrity checks regularly using cryptographic verification tools to detect tampering. 4. Maintain strict endpoint security policies to prevent privilege escalation that could lead to local access exploitation. 5. Monitor system logs and firmware event logs for anomalies indicative of firmware compromise. 6. Engage with hardware vendors and the TianoCore community to obtain patches or firmware updates as soon as they become available, and plan for timely deployment. 7. For critical systems, consider hardware replacement or firmware re-flashing procedures if compromise is suspected. 8. Educate IT and security teams about the risks of firmware vulnerabilities and the importance of layered security controls that include firmware protection.
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Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.1
- Assigner Short Name
- TianoCore
- Date Reserved
- 2025-04-17T16:10:59.678Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6893febbad5a09ad00f5db87
Added to database: 8/7/2025, 1:17:47 AM
Last enriched: 8/7/2025, 1:32:44 AM
Last updated: 8/18/2025, 1:22:21 AM
Views: 23
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