CVE-2025-9612 identifies a vulnerability in the PCI Express Integrity and Data Encryption (PCIe IDE) specification, specifically related to the handling of Transaction Layer Packets (TLPs). The PCIe IDE specification is designed to provide encryption and integrity protections for data traversing PCIe buses, which are widely used for high-speed communication between components such as CPUs, GPUs, and storage devices. The vulnerability stems from insufficient guidance on how TLPs should be ordered and how tags should be uniquely assigned to these packets. Without strict ordering and unique tagging, an attacker with local or physical access to the PCIe bus can replay or reorder encrypted packets without detection. This undermines the integrity guarantees of the PCIe IDE encryption scheme, potentially allowing data tampering or injection of malicious data. The flaw is categorized under CWE-404 (Improper Resource Shutdown or Release), indicating that resources (in this case, packet ordering and tagging mechanisms) are not properly managed to prevent misuse. No specific affected versions beyond the initial specification are listed, and no patches are currently available. There are no known exploits in the wild, but the vulnerability poses a significant risk to systems relying on PCIe IDE for secure data transmission. Exploitation requires local or physical access to the PCIe bus, which limits remote attack vectors but remains a concern in environments where hardware access is possible. The lack of a CVSS score necessitates an independent severity assessment based on impact and exploitability factors.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-9612 could be substantial, particularly in sectors relying on high-assurance hardware encryption for data integrity, such as financial services, telecommunications, cloud service providers, and critical infrastructure. The vulnerability could allow attackers with physical or local access to PCIe buses to manipulate encrypted data streams, potentially leading to unauthorized data modification, corruption, or injection of malicious payloads. This undermines trust in hardware-level encryption and may compromise sensitive data or disrupt critical operations. Organizations with data centers or hardware manufacturing facilities that implement PCIe IDE encryption are at higher risk. The attack complexity is moderate due to the requirement for physical or local bus access, but the potential for undetected data integrity violations elevates the threat. Additionally, the absence of patches means organizations must rely on compensating controls until vendors release updates. The impact on confidentiality is indirect but possible if data integrity violations enable further exploitation. Integrity impact is direct and significant, while availability impact is likely low unless data corruption causes system instability.

Mitigation strategies should focus on limiting physical and local access to PCIe buses through strict hardware security controls, including locked server rooms, tamper-evident seals, and monitoring of hardware interfaces. Organizations should engage with hardware and firmware vendors to track the development and deployment of patches or specification updates addressing TLP ordering and tag uniqueness. Until patches are available, consider implementing additional integrity verification at higher software layers to detect anomalies in PCIe data streams. Employ hardware security modules (HSMs) or trusted platform modules (TPMs) that can provide complementary integrity checks. Regularly audit PCIe device configurations and firmware versions to ensure compliance with best practices. For environments with high security requirements, consider segmenting PCIe devices or using alternative secure communication channels to reduce exposure. Finally, incorporate this vulnerability into risk assessments and incident response plans to prepare for potential exploitation scenarios.