CVE-2025-20092
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Clock Jitter Tool software allows authenticated local users to escalate privileges by manipulating the search path. It affects users running versions before 6.0.1 who have local access to systems with this software installed.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel Clock Jitter Tool
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An authenticated attacker could gain SYSTEM/root privileges on the affected system, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
Likely Case
A local user with standard privileges could elevate to administrative rights, enabling unauthorized access to sensitive data and system modifications.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and patching, the risk is limited to authorized users who would already have some level of system access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires understanding of DLL hijacking/search path manipulation techniques and local system access.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 6.0.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01316.html
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Download Clock Jitter Tool version 6.0.1 or later from Intel's official website. 2. Uninstall the vulnerable version. 3. Install the updated version. 4. Verify the installation completed successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local user permissions
allLimit standard user accounts' ability to write to directories in the system PATH or application directories
Remove unnecessary software
allUninstall Clock Jitter Tool if not required for business operations
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit which users can run the Clock Jitter Tool
- Monitor for unusual privilege escalation attempts using security tools and audit logs
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the installed version of Clock Jitter Tool. If version is below 6.0.1, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check Add/Remove Programs or run the tool with --version flag. On Linux: Check package manager or run the tool with --version flag.Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm Clock Jitter Tool version is 6.0.1 or higher after patching.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- DLL loading from unusual locations
- Clock Jitter Tool execution with elevated privileges
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local privilege escalation vulnerability
SIEM Query:
Search for process creation events where Clock Jitter Tool spawns with higher privileges than the parent process