CVE-2025-8061 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in the Lenovo Dispatcher 3.0 and 3.1 drivers, which are components used in some Lenovo consumer notebooks. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-782, indicating an exposed IOCTL (Input Output Control) interface with insufficient access control. This flaw allows an authenticated local user—meaning someone with a valid user account on the affected system—to potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. Essentially, the vulnerability could be exploited to escalate privileges from a standard user to a higher privileged context, such as SYSTEM or kernel mode, thereby compromising the integrity and security of the system. The vulnerability does not affect the Lenovo Dispatcher 3.2 driver, nor systems where the Windows Core Isolation Memory Integrity feature is enabled, which is a security feature designed to protect against kernel-level exploits by isolating critical processes. Notably, Windows 11 systems preloaded on Lenovo devices have this feature enabled by default, mitigating the risk on those platforms. The CVSS 4.0 base score is 7.3, reflecting a high severity level. The vector indicates that the attack requires local access (AV:L), high attack complexity (AC:H), no user interaction (UI:N), and low privileges (PR:L). The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability highly (VC:H, VI:H, VA:H), but does not affect scope or require authentication tokens beyond local user privileges. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been linked yet, indicating that remediation may still be pending or in progress. This vulnerability is significant because it could allow malicious insiders or malware running with user-level privileges to gain full control over the system, bypassing security controls and potentially enabling persistence, data theft, or further network compromise.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-8061 could be substantial, especially in environments where Lenovo consumer notebooks with Dispatcher 3.0 or 3.1 drivers are in use and where Windows Core Isolation Memory Integrity is not enabled or not available (e.g., older Windows versions or custom configurations). The vulnerability enables privilege escalation, which can lead to full system compromise, data breaches, and disruption of business operations. In sectors with strict data protection regulations such as GDPR, unauthorized access to sensitive data could result in regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Additionally, organizations relying on Lenovo consumer notebooks for remote or on-site work may face increased risk if attackers leverage this vulnerability to establish persistence or move laterally within networks. Since the vulnerability requires local authenticated access, the threat is more pronounced in environments where endpoint security is weak, or where insider threats or malware infections are possible. The mitigation provided by Windows 11’s Core Isolation Memory Integrity feature means that organizations upgrading to or deploying Windows 11 on Lenovo hardware are less exposed, but legacy systems and mixed OS environments remain vulnerable. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future exploitation, especially as threat actors often develop exploits for high-severity vulnerabilities once public disclosure occurs.

To mitigate CVE-2025-8061 effectively, European organizations should: 1) Ensure that all Lenovo consumer notebooks are updated to use the Dispatcher 3.2 driver or later versions where the vulnerability is fixed. This may require coordination with Lenovo support or IT asset management to identify affected devices and deploy updates. 2) Enable Windows Core Isolation Memory Integrity on all compatible Windows devices, especially those running Windows 10 or later, as this feature blocks exploitation of this vulnerability by isolating kernel memory. 3) Implement strict local user account management policies, limiting the number of users with local access and enforcing least privilege principles to reduce the risk of privilege escalation. 4) Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of monitoring and alerting on suspicious IOCTL calls or unusual privilege escalation attempts. 5) Conduct regular vulnerability scanning and asset inventory to identify devices running vulnerable driver versions. 6) Educate users about the risks of local privilege escalation and enforce strong authentication and endpoint security controls to prevent malware infections that could leverage this vulnerability. 7) Monitor Lenovo security advisories for official patches or updates and apply them promptly once available. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on driver version management, leveraging OS-level security features, and enhancing endpoint monitoring specific to this vulnerability’s exploitation vector.