CVE-2025-35968
📋 TL;DR
A UEFI firmware vulnerability in Slim Bootloader allows local attackers to escalate privileges by exploiting protection mechanism failures. This affects systems using vulnerable Slim Bootloader firmware, potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Attackers need local access and high complexity attack capabilities.
💻 Affected Systems
- Systems using Slim Bootloader with vulnerable UEFI firmware
⚠️ 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
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining firmware-level control, persistence across reboots, and ability to bypass all OS-level security controls.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation allowing attackers to gain higher system privileges than their initial access level, potentially leading to data theft or system manipulation.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper access controls, but firmware-level vulnerabilities remain concerning for high-security environments.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and high complexity attack; no public exploit code known at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Intel SA-01395 for specific patched firmware versions
Vendor Advisory: https://intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01395.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check Intel SA-01395 advisory for affected systems. 2. Contact hardware/OEM vendor for firmware updates. 3. Apply firmware update following vendor instructions. 4. Reboot system to activate new firmware.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict physical access
allLimit physical access to vulnerable systems to prevent local exploitation
Implement strict access controls
allEnforce least privilege and monitor for privilege escalation attempts
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected systems in secure network segments
- Implement enhanced monitoring for privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check system firmware version against Intel SA-01395 advisory; use manufacturer-specific tools to verify Slim Bootloader versionCheck Version:
Manufacturer-specific commands vary; typically: Windows: wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion, Linux: dmidecode -t biosVerify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version after update matches patched version in Intel advisory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected firmware access attempts
- Privilege escalation patterns
- SMM (System Management Mode) related anomalies
Network Indicators:
- Not network exploitable; focus on local system monitoring
SIEM Query:
Search for privilege escalation events, unexpected firmware access, or SMM-related security alerts