CVE-2025-6202 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in SK Hynix DDR5 memory modules produced between January 2021 and December 2024. The vulnerability allows a local attacker on x86 systems to exploit the Rowhammer effect, a hardware-based fault injection technique that induces bit flips in DRAM cells by repeatedly accessing (hammering) adjacent rows. This can compromise hardware integrity and system security by corrupting data stored in memory. Unlike traditional software vulnerabilities, this issue targets the physical memory hardware layer, making it particularly challenging to detect and mitigate. The vulnerability requires local access with low privileges and does not require user interaction, but it has a high attack complexity due to the need for precise timing and memory access patterns. The CVSS 4.0 score of 7.1 reflects the significant impact on confidentiality and integrity, with no impact on availability. The vulnerability does not currently have known exploits in the wild, but the potential for exploitation exists given the widespread deployment of affected DDR5 DIMMs. Since the flaw is in hardware, patching options are limited; firmware or microcode updates from SK Hynix or system vendors may be required to mitigate the issue. This vulnerability poses a risk to any system using the affected DDR5 modules, especially servers and workstations where data integrity and security are critical.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-6202 could be substantial, particularly in sectors relying heavily on high-performance computing and data integrity, such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government infrastructure. The ability to induce bit flips at the hardware level threatens the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data, potentially leading to data corruption, unauthorized privilege escalation, or bypass of security controls. Systems used in critical infrastructure and cloud service providers are at risk, which could cascade into broader service disruptions or data breaches. The local attack vector means that insider threats or compromised endpoints could exploit this vulnerability to escalate attacks. Given the widespread adoption of DDR5 memory in new hardware deployments across Europe, the vulnerability could affect a large number of enterprise and government systems, increasing the risk profile for European organizations.

Mitigation of CVE-2025-6202 requires a multi-layered approach beyond generic advice. Organizations should: 1) Inventory and identify all systems using SK Hynix DDR5 DIMMs produced between 2021 and 2024 to assess exposure. 2) Engage with hardware vendors and SK Hynix for firmware or microcode updates that address the Rowhammer vulnerability. 3) Implement strict access controls and monitoring to limit local access to trusted users only, reducing the risk of local exploitation. 4) Employ memory error detection and correction technologies where possible, such as ECC memory and memory scrubbing, to detect and correct bit flips. 5) Harden system configurations to reduce attack surface, including disabling unnecessary local user accounts and services. 6) Monitor system logs and hardware error reports for unusual memory errors that could indicate exploitation attempts. 7) Consider deploying runtime integrity verification tools that can detect memory corruption. 8) For critical systems, evaluate the feasibility of replacing vulnerable DDR5 modules with unaffected hardware if patches are unavailable or insufficient. These steps require coordination between IT security, hardware procurement, and system administrators to effectively reduce risk.