VulnerabilityPublished 10 Nov 2025Updated 12 Nov 2025

CVE-2025-63384: rocket-chip · Incorrect Privilege Assignment

Affects rocket-chipSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.5 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 25% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Nov 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubchipsalliance/rocket-chip`pkg:github/chipsalliance/rocket-chip`Other threats	Affected <=1.6	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Monitor vendor communications closely for official patches or microcode updates addressing CVE-2025-63384 and apply them promptly once available.
Implement strict privilege separation policies and limit supervisor-level code execution to trusted, verified components to reduce the risk of exploitation.
Employ runtime monitoring and anomaly detection to identify unusual privilege escalations or unexpected machine-mode operations.
For embedded and IoT devices, enforce secure boot and firmware integrity checks to prevent unauthorized code execution at supervisor level.
Conduct thorough security audits of systems using RISC-V Rocket-Chip processors to identify potential exposure and isolate vulnerable devices where feasible.
Engage with hardware vendors and system integrators to understand the deployment scope and receive guidance on secure configurations.
Consider network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable devices to untrusted networks.
Develop incident response plans that include scenarios involving privilege escalation on embedded platforms.

Description

A vulnerability was discovered in RISC-V Rocket-Chip v1.6 and before implementation where the SRET (Supervisor-mode Exception Return) instruction fails to correctly transition the processor's privilege level. Instead of downgrading from Machine-mode (M-mode) to Supervisor-mode (S-mode) as specified by the sstatus.SPP bit, the processor incorrectly remains in M-mode, leading to a critical privilege retention vulnerability.

Impact

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-63384 depends on the deployment of RISC-V Rocket-Chip-based systems within their infrastructure. Given the growing adoption of RISC-V in embedded and IoT devices, sectors such as industrial automation, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure could be at risk. The vulnerability allows unauthorized privilege escalation from Supervisor-mode to Machine-mode, potentially enabling attackers to access sensitive system resources, bypass security mechanisms, and execute privileged instructions. This could lead to data breaches, disruption of critical services, or compromise of safety-critical systems. The medium CVSS score reflects that exploitation requires some level of privilege but no user interaction, making insider threats or compromised supervisor-level code particularly dangerous. The absence of known exploits suggests a window for proactive mitigation. European organizations relying on RISC-V technology in sensitive environments must consider the risk of privilege escalation attacks that could undermine confidentiality and control over critical systems.

CWE-266Incorrect Privilege Assignment (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A06:2025: Insecure Design (opens in a new tab)
A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
Architecture and Design · Operation
Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
Architecture and Design · Operation · Environment Hardening
Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Docker Security (opens in a new tab)
Third Party Javascript Management (opens in a new tab)
Virtual Patching (opens in a new tab)
Secure Design Principles (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V1.4.4 (opens in a new tab)
V1.4.5 (opens in a new tab)
V1.10.1 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 17 Nov 2025, 20:58 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-266

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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